Not to complain too much, seeing as the Cardinals are 9-1/2 games in first place in mid-June, but before too long, the also-rans are going to start offloading talent for prospects, and it would be nice to see Jocketty fill a few holes.
First of all, can we jettison Randy *#$%@! Flores before he does any more damage? This guy couldn't strike out my first grader, and it seems like every time he comes into a game, things just get worse. Maybe they're planning on bringing back Carmen Cali or Jimmy Journell later in the year, but the middle relief is still more like Maalox Moment than Rolaids Relief.
Second, Jeff Suppan's time is up. He's incredibly average, and he just gives up too many runs. If Walt can pull the trigger on a deal for a veteran pitcher (especially another lefthanded starter), Suppan should have his bags packed. He's a glaring hole in an otherwise solid starting rotation, at least when Good Mark Mulder shows up to the park.
Finally, we need a big right-handed bat, for two reasons. Number one, we suck against lefty pitching, and two of our biggest hitters—Edmonds and Walker—are lefties. Don't get me wrong, Mabry, Nuñez and Taguchi have been outstanding off the bench, but none of them are going to strike fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers. A big righty would be a boost off the bench.
Here's the other reason, and the one I think is most important: We're going to win the NL pennant, and last year against Boston, we were exposed for not having a big bat to hit in the DH spot at the American League ballpark. I don't care if they guy can play a lick in the field—he doesn't need to—we just need to rent a big hitter for the end of the season.
Okay sport fans, time for you to click on the comments link and name me some names...
Monday, June 20, 2005
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Respect Your Elders
I play church league softball this time of year, usually "B" league, which is safer for those of us edging further into middle age. I was forced into emergency pitching duty last night, which was a bit distressing for me at the time. The game was a rematch with the first team we had played this season.
Coincidently, this was the same team I had pitched against previously, in my only outing of the season. I gave up 16 runs in two innings before the coach pulled me and came in himself (in blue jeans, no less—he hadn't planned to play at all). It's slow pitch softball, but I've been fighting tendonitis in my right arm since the beginning of the year. It was a frustrating experience.
Last night I had better results. I still gave up 15 runs, but it took them all seven innings to score that many, and we won the game 19-15. On the still brighter side, I went 3 for 3 at the plate, all three solid singles with a couple of RBIs (I still like the "s" on the end of that—I'm old school).
I was a bit sore last night, but this season hasn't been nearly as painful for me because I've finally accepted the fact that I'm almost 37 years old and weigh 250 pounds. I'm not stretching singles into doubles or doubles into triples anymore. I'm not legging out grounders unless the infielder boots it.
I didn't want to accept my age last season, so I pushed myself and always paid the price the next day in sore feet, ankles, knees, shoulders...well, basically everything. This season, playing more relaxed and accepting that I'm not a kid anymore, well, I can get out of bed relatively pain-free even after pitching seven innings and running the bases three times.
Now that I'm the same age as many older veterans, it amazes me that so many of them are able to perform at a professional level in their late 30s, and in some cases, into their 40s. Reggie Sanders (cousin Reggie) and Deion Sanders (cousin Deion) are both the same age as me—37. Reggie's doing yeoman's service in left field for the NL-best St. Louis Cardinals, and Deion's planning on playing another season in the defensive secondary for the Baltimore Ravens.
There is a tendency in the national sports media to denigrate the older players for having lost a step, a swing, a bit of arm strength, to start writing their professional sports obituary before they're ready to step out of the limelight. Some, like Brett Favre, may still have a good season or two left in the tank. Others, most notably Jerry Rice, generate comments about "damaging his legacy."
Please. Rice's legacy is rock solid—he's the best receiver to have ever played the game. Did Michael Jordan damage his legacy by playing for Washington in his 40s? Not at all—just say MJ, and all you think about is Chicago and the six rings. Say Rice, and you see him catching TD passes from Montana and Young.
The thing is, sports are games, and games are fun, and men are grown boys, and boys like to play games, and we don't like to come inside and stop playing the games even when it's dark outside or even when it's raining or even when we're probably too old to play as well as we used to. I can afford to slow down and take it easy to play—it's just a local church league. For the older players in the pros, they fight the inevitable tide of time and the treasonous unwillingness of their bodies to move and react and heal the way they did a decade ago, and yet, they still have the will and the ability to play. Gentlemen, I salute you all.
Coincidently, this was the same team I had pitched against previously, in my only outing of the season. I gave up 16 runs in two innings before the coach pulled me and came in himself (in blue jeans, no less—he hadn't planned to play at all). It's slow pitch softball, but I've been fighting tendonitis in my right arm since the beginning of the year. It was a frustrating experience.
Last night I had better results. I still gave up 15 runs, but it took them all seven innings to score that many, and we won the game 19-15. On the still brighter side, I went 3 for 3 at the plate, all three solid singles with a couple of RBIs (I still like the "s" on the end of that—I'm old school).
I was a bit sore last night, but this season hasn't been nearly as painful for me because I've finally accepted the fact that I'm almost 37 years old and weigh 250 pounds. I'm not stretching singles into doubles or doubles into triples anymore. I'm not legging out grounders unless the infielder boots it.
I didn't want to accept my age last season, so I pushed myself and always paid the price the next day in sore feet, ankles, knees, shoulders...well, basically everything. This season, playing more relaxed and accepting that I'm not a kid anymore, well, I can get out of bed relatively pain-free even after pitching seven innings and running the bases three times.
Now that I'm the same age as many older veterans, it amazes me that so many of them are able to perform at a professional level in their late 30s, and in some cases, into their 40s. Reggie Sanders (cousin Reggie) and Deion Sanders (cousin Deion) are both the same age as me—37. Reggie's doing yeoman's service in left field for the NL-best St. Louis Cardinals, and Deion's planning on playing another season in the defensive secondary for the Baltimore Ravens.
There is a tendency in the national sports media to denigrate the older players for having lost a step, a swing, a bit of arm strength, to start writing their professional sports obituary before they're ready to step out of the limelight. Some, like Brett Favre, may still have a good season or two left in the tank. Others, most notably Jerry Rice, generate comments about "damaging his legacy."
Please. Rice's legacy is rock solid—he's the best receiver to have ever played the game. Did Michael Jordan damage his legacy by playing for Washington in his 40s? Not at all—just say MJ, and all you think about is Chicago and the six rings. Say Rice, and you see him catching TD passes from Montana and Young.
The thing is, sports are games, and games are fun, and men are grown boys, and boys like to play games, and we don't like to come inside and stop playing the games even when it's dark outside or even when it's raining or even when we're probably too old to play as well as we used to. I can afford to slow down and take it easy to play—it's just a local church league. For the older players in the pros, they fight the inevitable tide of time and the treasonous unwillingness of their bodies to move and react and heal the way they did a decade ago, and yet, they still have the will and the ability to play. Gentlemen, I salute you all.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Please Pay No Attention to the Team in Purple
Uh oh.
Peter King, Sports Illustrated's best NFL writer, just picked the Minnesota Vikings to win the NFC Championship. We do not need this. It's like the kiss of death. Next thing you know, they'll be putting Daunte Culpepper on the cover of their NFL Preview edition, thus guaranteeing our massive QB a season-ending injury.
Well, at least he didn't pick them to win the Superbowl, so there's still hope. Oh sure, we here in Vikings Nation certainly think that the Vikes have a shot at the big game, especially in this era of parity, but with our long and glorious history of choking up the game when just on the verge of glory, we certainly don't want to be under the spotlight and microscope of national expectations.
Besides, it's far too early to judge any team based on only three factors: 1) Draft; 2) Free-agent signings; 3) Summer minicamps. I can say who I think is on either an up or down trajectory in each division, but I won't make the mistake of picking results or division order yet. It's just too soon.
NFC East: Trending Up—Dallas (Bill Parcells factor, Drew Bledsoe, vastly improved defense); Washington (Joe Gibbs 2.0 in second year). Trending Down—Philadelphia (T.O. mess, Superbowl hangover); NY Giants (Eli Manning still sucks, Tom Coughlin makes Simon Cowell look like Paula Abdul).
NFC North: Trending Up—Minnesota (new owner, new Moss-free attitude, improved defense); Detroit (break-out year for Mooch's offensive scheme). Trending Down—Green Bay (Brett Favre should have retired); Chicago (still no signs of any offense whatsoever).
NFC South: Trending Up—Atlanta (Mike Vick, Jim Mora Jr., building on last year's success); Tampa Bay (the return of Chucky); Carolina (defense still scary and impressive). Trending Down—New Orleans (rumors of leaving town are never good for a franchise).
NFC West: Trending Up—Arizona (Dennis Green's second year, the return of Kurt Warner, exciting young players). Trending Down—St. Louis (the NFL's worst head coach); Seattle (the NFL's most overrated head coach); San Francisco (the NFL's most inexperienced head coach).
I'll save my AFC comments for next week, once again in response to Peter King's early predictions, which he is promising for then. I respect King's opinions and think he's one of the smartest and most astute NFL writers around. For that matter, I also like SI's Don Banks and ESPN.com's John Clayton and Len Pasquerelli. I still, however, do not like Joe Theisman (but doesn't that go without saying?).
On one final note, for those of you who read my post, "An Open Letter to Reggie Fowler," one of my primary suggestions was to build a new open-air stadium to revive the miserable winter mystique of the old-school Vikings teams. Well, even though Fowler's bid fell through, new owner Zygmunt Wilf (good God, is that a great name or what?) has stated his intention to do just that—to take the Vikings back outside where they belong. Like all else, it's far to early to make any definitive statements about the Ziggy Era in Minnesota, but it couldn't have gotten off to a better start.
Peter King, Sports Illustrated's best NFL writer, just picked the Minnesota Vikings to win the NFC Championship. We do not need this. It's like the kiss of death. Next thing you know, they'll be putting Daunte Culpepper on the cover of their NFL Preview edition, thus guaranteeing our massive QB a season-ending injury.
Well, at least he didn't pick them to win the Superbowl, so there's still hope. Oh sure, we here in Vikings Nation certainly think that the Vikes have a shot at the big game, especially in this era of parity, but with our long and glorious history of choking up the game when just on the verge of glory, we certainly don't want to be under the spotlight and microscope of national expectations.
Besides, it's far too early to judge any team based on only three factors: 1) Draft; 2) Free-agent signings; 3) Summer minicamps. I can say who I think is on either an up or down trajectory in each division, but I won't make the mistake of picking results or division order yet. It's just too soon.
NFC East: Trending Up—Dallas (Bill Parcells factor, Drew Bledsoe, vastly improved defense); Washington (Joe Gibbs 2.0 in second year). Trending Down—Philadelphia (T.O. mess, Superbowl hangover); NY Giants (Eli Manning still sucks, Tom Coughlin makes Simon Cowell look like Paula Abdul).
NFC North: Trending Up—Minnesota (new owner, new Moss-free attitude, improved defense); Detroit (break-out year for Mooch's offensive scheme). Trending Down—Green Bay (Brett Favre should have retired); Chicago (still no signs of any offense whatsoever).
NFC South: Trending Up—Atlanta (Mike Vick, Jim Mora Jr., building on last year's success); Tampa Bay (the return of Chucky); Carolina (defense still scary and impressive). Trending Down—New Orleans (rumors of leaving town are never good for a franchise).
NFC West: Trending Up—Arizona (Dennis Green's second year, the return of Kurt Warner, exciting young players). Trending Down—St. Louis (the NFL's worst head coach); Seattle (the NFL's most overrated head coach); San Francisco (the NFL's most inexperienced head coach).
I'll save my AFC comments for next week, once again in response to Peter King's early predictions, which he is promising for then. I respect King's opinions and think he's one of the smartest and most astute NFL writers around. For that matter, I also like SI's Don Banks and ESPN.com's John Clayton and Len Pasquerelli. I still, however, do not like Joe Theisman (but doesn't that go without saying?).
On one final note, for those of you who read my post, "An Open Letter to Reggie Fowler," one of my primary suggestions was to build a new open-air stadium to revive the miserable winter mystique of the old-school Vikings teams. Well, even though Fowler's bid fell through, new owner Zygmunt Wilf (good God, is that a great name or what?) has stated his intention to do just that—to take the Vikings back outside where they belong. Like all else, it's far to early to make any definitive statements about the Ziggy Era in Minnesota, but it couldn't have gotten off to a better start.
Saturday, May 28, 2005
The Unbearable Futility of Being a Cubs Fan
Mark Prior: fractured elbow. Well, there it is. Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, both on the disabled list for at least a third of the season. Sandlot readers with sharp memories will recall that I predicted this very thing right at the start of the season, in addition to predicting that the Cubs would finish no higher than fourth in the NL Central, though it looks like Milwaukee and Pittsburgh will finish where I said Cincinnati and Houston would.
One might think that, being a Minnesota Vikings fan, I would have some sort of sympathy for Cubs fans, due to our similarities in futility. Well, my friends, that's where you would be wrong. While the Vikings have never won a Superbowl, they have been to the big game four times, as well as making it several times to the NFC Championship game. The Cubs almost never make it to the postseason, and they haven't been to the World Series in the lifetime of anyone other than C. Montgomery Burns or Mel Brooks' 2,000-year-old man.
Plus, Cubs fans are whiny and obnoxious. Vikings fans are stoic. Think Bud Grant. That Scandinavian reserve, the cold acceptance of fate and doom. Yeah, that's Vikings football—a dash of optimism tempered by an existential awareness of our own futility. The Cubs fans don't realize how much they suck, how pathetic their team is, how self-pitying all their talk of goat curses and Steve Bartman is.
Their manager is a loudmouth chump, they're down to one decent starting pitcher (if they can keep him off the Internet, that is), their bullpen makes serial arsonists look like Smokey the Bear, and they let their two best hitters, Alou and Sosa, walk without replacing them with anyone meaningful. The only way things could get worse for this team is if they traded their only remaining star, Derek Lee. Look for the Yankees to come calling later this summer for that one!
I turn 37 years old in less than a month. The last time the Vikings were in the Superbowl, I was seven years old, and they got trounced by John Madden's outstanding Oakland Raiders team. Yeah, they should have won it all in 1998, but woulda-shoulda-coulda is the bane of every losing franchise. Assuming I fall within normal lifespan demographics, I've got about 40 more years for the Vikings to win one before I die. I can live that out secure in the knowlege that the Cubs will go at least that long before winning the World Series.
Schadenfreude: ask for it by name!
One might think that, being a Minnesota Vikings fan, I would have some sort of sympathy for Cubs fans, due to our similarities in futility. Well, my friends, that's where you would be wrong. While the Vikings have never won a Superbowl, they have been to the big game four times, as well as making it several times to the NFC Championship game. The Cubs almost never make it to the postseason, and they haven't been to the World Series in the lifetime of anyone other than C. Montgomery Burns or Mel Brooks' 2,000-year-old man.
Plus, Cubs fans are whiny and obnoxious. Vikings fans are stoic. Think Bud Grant. That Scandinavian reserve, the cold acceptance of fate and doom. Yeah, that's Vikings football—a dash of optimism tempered by an existential awareness of our own futility. The Cubs fans don't realize how much they suck, how pathetic their team is, how self-pitying all their talk of goat curses and Steve Bartman is.
Their manager is a loudmouth chump, they're down to one decent starting pitcher (if they can keep him off the Internet, that is), their bullpen makes serial arsonists look like Smokey the Bear, and they let their two best hitters, Alou and Sosa, walk without replacing them with anyone meaningful. The only way things could get worse for this team is if they traded their only remaining star, Derek Lee. Look for the Yankees to come calling later this summer for that one!
I turn 37 years old in less than a month. The last time the Vikings were in the Superbowl, I was seven years old, and they got trounced by John Madden's outstanding Oakland Raiders team. Yeah, they should have won it all in 1998, but woulda-shoulda-coulda is the bane of every losing franchise. Assuming I fall within normal lifespan demographics, I've got about 40 more years for the Vikings to win one before I die. I can live that out secure in the knowlege that the Cubs will go at least that long before winning the World Series.
Schadenfreude: ask for it by name!
Thursday, May 26, 2005
A Night Without Baseball...
...is like a day without music. All's quiet in Cardinal Nation tonight, with the boys taking a well-deserved night off after a three-game sweep of the young and talented but overmatched Pittsburgh Pirates. The Washington Nationals (nee Montreal Expos) come to town for the first time this weekend, but tonight, all is quiet, and I'm wandering around the house wondering what to do with myself.
I can't remember a time that I didn't listen to Cardinals baseball on the radio. I grew up with Jack Buck and Mike Shannon in the air from April through September, and a few lucky times on into October. Whenever they have a day off, it's like something big is missing in the day, like I forget to eat lunch or pick up one of my kids from school. For those who don't know, that's what Cardinal Nation is like—it's part of the air, part of our DNA, almost.
The season is looking very good early on. The team is handling Scott Rolen's extended absence without a hitch (thank you John Mabry and Abraham Nunez), the starting pitching has been 80% good, and Izzy's still perfect. Suppan is struggling lately though, and that middle relief core raises my blood pressure more than a Tom DeLay/George W. Bush joint news (read: propaganda) conference. Still, there's not much room for complaints with a team 14 games over .500 in May.
What else is going on? I guess since Curt Schilling can't pitch any more, he needs to run his big mouth at the Cardinals future Hall of Fame manager for telling the truth about poor little Edgar Renteria. I was happy to see Renteria go; he didn't have a meaningful at-bat for the Cards since before last year's All-Star break, and I'm not surprised to see him struggle in Boston. I'd really like to see a bench-clearing brawl next month when the Red Sox come to Busch, and I'd like to see LaRussa sock Schilling right in the mouth. Tony's got too much class for that, for sure, but Schilling's a world-class jerk. Nothing's worse than a sore winner.
My man Kurt Warner was just named the starting QB for the Arizona Cardinals. No surprise there, but he still has plenty of doubters if the folks who get paid to write and speak what I do here for free are to be believed. Copy this down, folks, 'cause I'm gonna make a bold prediction: if the Gridbird's offensive line keeps Warner from getting hurt, he's going to fly that speedy receiver unit straight into the playoffs, and possibly as the NFC West champs, depending on how the Rams do with the rest of their schedule. Warner will revive his career this year, along with the fortunes of the Arizona franchise.
(And so what if I'm wrong? Like I said, I'm not getting paid to write this stuff, and it doesn't cost you anything other than time, and I'm probably helping you to procrastinate from doing something you really don't want to do anyway, so everyone's a winner, right? Okay, let's move on...)
Happy to see Miami even up their series with Detroit last night. I'd much rather see Shaq going up against Tim Duncan in the finals. See, this is what I'm reduced to without the NHL playoffs and a night off from baseball. (heavy sigh...)
I can't remember a time that I didn't listen to Cardinals baseball on the radio. I grew up with Jack Buck and Mike Shannon in the air from April through September, and a few lucky times on into October. Whenever they have a day off, it's like something big is missing in the day, like I forget to eat lunch or pick up one of my kids from school. For those who don't know, that's what Cardinal Nation is like—it's part of the air, part of our DNA, almost.
The season is looking very good early on. The team is handling Scott Rolen's extended absence without a hitch (thank you John Mabry and Abraham Nunez), the starting pitching has been 80% good, and Izzy's still perfect. Suppan is struggling lately though, and that middle relief core raises my blood pressure more than a Tom DeLay/George W. Bush joint news (read: propaganda) conference. Still, there's not much room for complaints with a team 14 games over .500 in May.
What else is going on? I guess since Curt Schilling can't pitch any more, he needs to run his big mouth at the Cardinals future Hall of Fame manager for telling the truth about poor little Edgar Renteria. I was happy to see Renteria go; he didn't have a meaningful at-bat for the Cards since before last year's All-Star break, and I'm not surprised to see him struggle in Boston. I'd really like to see a bench-clearing brawl next month when the Red Sox come to Busch, and I'd like to see LaRussa sock Schilling right in the mouth. Tony's got too much class for that, for sure, but Schilling's a world-class jerk. Nothing's worse than a sore winner.
My man Kurt Warner was just named the starting QB for the Arizona Cardinals. No surprise there, but he still has plenty of doubters if the folks who get paid to write and speak what I do here for free are to be believed. Copy this down, folks, 'cause I'm gonna make a bold prediction: if the Gridbird's offensive line keeps Warner from getting hurt, he's going to fly that speedy receiver unit straight into the playoffs, and possibly as the NFC West champs, depending on how the Rams do with the rest of their schedule. Warner will revive his career this year, along with the fortunes of the Arizona franchise.
(And so what if I'm wrong? Like I said, I'm not getting paid to write this stuff, and it doesn't cost you anything other than time, and I'm probably helping you to procrastinate from doing something you really don't want to do anyway, so everyone's a winner, right? Okay, let's move on...)
Happy to see Miami even up their series with Detroit last night. I'd much rather see Shaq going up against Tim Duncan in the finals. See, this is what I'm reduced to without the NHL playoffs and a night off from baseball. (heavy sigh...)
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
The Cardinals sleepwalked through a sloppy loss in Kansas City today, I don't care about the NBA playoffs, hockey may never return in our lifetime, and it's another six weeks at least until NFL training camp starts, so instead of a sports post, I'm going to talk about why I was disappointed with Star Wars Episode 3.
A word of warning: if you plan to see the movie and don't want to read any spoilers, leave now and don't come back until you've seen the movie. If you've seen it, I welcome any and all comments either in agreement or dissent (as usual, of course).
I was enormously disappointed with this movie. I enjoyed it far less than the two previous episodes. I know that "Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones" have taken their fair (and deserved) share of hits from both critics and fans, but I felt like both movies served their purpose: to set up the fall of Anakin Skywalker. So why was I disappointed with this last movie?
Simple: I never believed his turn to the Dark side. I didn't believe that, given the information that he had, Anakin Skywalker would kill Mace Windu and swear allegience to Palpatine. I'm a writer, and I deal in characters and motivation, and he did not yet have sufficient motivation to take the action that he did, in my opinion.
Here are the facts: 1) Anakin had dreams that Padme would die in childbirth; 2) Palpatine had given him vague promises about the possibility that Sith powers could prevent death; 3) Once Anakin realized Palpatine was the Sith Lord, he turned that news over to the Jedi Council; 4) Anakin was devoted to Jedi principles and was not shown learning anything different about the Dark side; 5) Just because he killed Windu, he didn't have to swear allegience at that time; he could have turned Palpatine over to the Senate or the Jedi; 6) the Jedi had not shown sufficient cause that they were trying to take over control of the Republic from the Senate.
I did not think that this collection of evidence would motivate Anakin to take part in the slaughter of the Jedi. I did not believe that he would so easily turn against Obi-Wan Kenobi. And I don't think the problem was with Hayden Christenson's acting. I thought he did the best he could with what he had to work with, in terms of the script (which was bad). Anakin was smart; he should have considered that perhaps Padme's death would be a result of his turning to the Sith (which, in part, it was).
What would have been proper motivation? First of all, Lucas should have taken Padme out of the equation entirely. Make Anakin's seduction all about political power, about his ability to rule over the Republic. Make the Jedi more anti-democratic in the name of "law and order." Make the turn more gradual, more little-by-little as Anakin takes one more step over the line. And keep Palpatine from revealing himself until Anakin has already gone too far over to the Dark side. That would have been more believable and less stupidly melodramatic (and avoided the laughably bad "NOOOOO!!" scene at the end of the movie).
A more gradual fall would have also given Obi-Wan the chance to turn Anakin back to the Jedi, something that was discussed at length in the original trilogy but that wasn't even present here. Also, the original trilogy established that Leia remembered her mother; Padme dying in childbirth was a major league plot hole. It would have been more believable if Padme had run into hiding out of fear of her husband's ever-growing power. The climactic battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin could have been Kenobi defending Padme and the twins from being kidnapped by a fully-turned Darth Vader.
Of course, at this point, I'm rewriting George Lucas' movie, which any of us who were disappointed by the movie could do; but my point is that someone should have pointed out to Lucas at the beginning of the prequel trilogies that he had to remain true to his original story and the plot points that had already been established. This could have been so much better if Lucas had had the patience to tell the story that had already been told in the first three movies instead of concocting an adolescent soap opera of secret, lost love. "Romeo and Juliet" may be one of Shakespeare's best-known plays, but serious scholars will also tell you that its one of his earliest and most amateurish attempts at tragedy. Lucas' mistake was following this path of lost love. Sorry, it just wasn't compelling in the Star Wars universe.
Having said all this, how stupid are the Jedi Knights? Anakin Skywalker is believed by many on the Jedi Council, including his Master, Obi-Wan, to be The Chosen One. So why do they all treat him like the bastard at the family reunion? He's only established himself to be incredibly skilled, powerful in the Force, courageous, heroic, etc. How about a little love, people? That part of Anakin's turn to Sith was believable because the Jedi Council treated him like dirt, but the fact that they did in the first place was so jaw-droppingly stupid that they all deserved to die in the end for their, as the Emperor would say, "lack of vision." His fall would be even more believable had the Jedi acknowledged his power and put him into a position of political power and influence.
I am a professor of literature, and if I've learned anything about tragedy, a hero's fall always has more to do with pride than love. Anakin Skywalker would not have turned to the dark side for love, but power and pride would have done the trick. I wish someone would have mentioned that to George Lucas a few years ago. Looks like his pride in his own flawed romantic vision has led to this most disappointing failure:
Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader—Dark Lord of the Sith, the scourge of the Empire, feared throughout the galaxy, destroyer of planets and civilizations—because he was scared something bad might happen to his wife.
Yeah, right.
A word of warning: if you plan to see the movie and don't want to read any spoilers, leave now and don't come back until you've seen the movie. If you've seen it, I welcome any and all comments either in agreement or dissent (as usual, of course).
I was enormously disappointed with this movie. I enjoyed it far less than the two previous episodes. I know that "Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones" have taken their fair (and deserved) share of hits from both critics and fans, but I felt like both movies served their purpose: to set up the fall of Anakin Skywalker. So why was I disappointed with this last movie?
Simple: I never believed his turn to the Dark side. I didn't believe that, given the information that he had, Anakin Skywalker would kill Mace Windu and swear allegience to Palpatine. I'm a writer, and I deal in characters and motivation, and he did not yet have sufficient motivation to take the action that he did, in my opinion.
Here are the facts: 1) Anakin had dreams that Padme would die in childbirth; 2) Palpatine had given him vague promises about the possibility that Sith powers could prevent death; 3) Once Anakin realized Palpatine was the Sith Lord, he turned that news over to the Jedi Council; 4) Anakin was devoted to Jedi principles and was not shown learning anything different about the Dark side; 5) Just because he killed Windu, he didn't have to swear allegience at that time; he could have turned Palpatine over to the Senate or the Jedi; 6) the Jedi had not shown sufficient cause that they were trying to take over control of the Republic from the Senate.
I did not think that this collection of evidence would motivate Anakin to take part in the slaughter of the Jedi. I did not believe that he would so easily turn against Obi-Wan Kenobi. And I don't think the problem was with Hayden Christenson's acting. I thought he did the best he could with what he had to work with, in terms of the script (which was bad). Anakin was smart; he should have considered that perhaps Padme's death would be a result of his turning to the Sith (which, in part, it was).
What would have been proper motivation? First of all, Lucas should have taken Padme out of the equation entirely. Make Anakin's seduction all about political power, about his ability to rule over the Republic. Make the Jedi more anti-democratic in the name of "law and order." Make the turn more gradual, more little-by-little as Anakin takes one more step over the line. And keep Palpatine from revealing himself until Anakin has already gone too far over to the Dark side. That would have been more believable and less stupidly melodramatic (and avoided the laughably bad "NOOOOO!!" scene at the end of the movie).
A more gradual fall would have also given Obi-Wan the chance to turn Anakin back to the Jedi, something that was discussed at length in the original trilogy but that wasn't even present here. Also, the original trilogy established that Leia remembered her mother; Padme dying in childbirth was a major league plot hole. It would have been more believable if Padme had run into hiding out of fear of her husband's ever-growing power. The climactic battle between Obi-Wan and Anakin could have been Kenobi defending Padme and the twins from being kidnapped by a fully-turned Darth Vader.
Of course, at this point, I'm rewriting George Lucas' movie, which any of us who were disappointed by the movie could do; but my point is that someone should have pointed out to Lucas at the beginning of the prequel trilogies that he had to remain true to his original story and the plot points that had already been established. This could have been so much better if Lucas had had the patience to tell the story that had already been told in the first three movies instead of concocting an adolescent soap opera of secret, lost love. "Romeo and Juliet" may be one of Shakespeare's best-known plays, but serious scholars will also tell you that its one of his earliest and most amateurish attempts at tragedy. Lucas' mistake was following this path of lost love. Sorry, it just wasn't compelling in the Star Wars universe.
Having said all this, how stupid are the Jedi Knights? Anakin Skywalker is believed by many on the Jedi Council, including his Master, Obi-Wan, to be The Chosen One. So why do they all treat him like the bastard at the family reunion? He's only established himself to be incredibly skilled, powerful in the Force, courageous, heroic, etc. How about a little love, people? That part of Anakin's turn to Sith was believable because the Jedi Council treated him like dirt, but the fact that they did in the first place was so jaw-droppingly stupid that they all deserved to die in the end for their, as the Emperor would say, "lack of vision." His fall would be even more believable had the Jedi acknowledged his power and put him into a position of political power and influence.
I am a professor of literature, and if I've learned anything about tragedy, a hero's fall always has more to do with pride than love. Anakin Skywalker would not have turned to the dark side for love, but power and pride would have done the trick. I wish someone would have mentioned that to George Lucas a few years ago. Looks like his pride in his own flawed romantic vision has led to this most disappointing failure:
Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader—Dark Lord of the Sith, the scourge of the Empire, feared throughout the galaxy, destroyer of planets and civilizations—because he was scared something bad might happen to his wife.
Yeah, right.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Extreme Racing
I'm not a racing fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I did tune in to a few minutes of the NASCAR race Sunday afternoon at Talladega because my brother-in-law and nephew were on hand to see the race in person. Curious as to what they were seeing, I watched a bit. Very interesting. I know it takes a knock for "not being a real sport," but what I saw was pretty amazing.
At one point, a driver's rear tire blew out and his car started spinning around, with debris and smoke going everywhere. Not only was the driver not hurt, he managed to get back into the race, but that's not even the amazing part. Not one other driver wrecked as a result of the blowout and subsequent spin. They just dodged the damaged car, the flying tire skin and drove through a blanket of smoke, all at well over 100 miles an hour without crashing into each other. Had this been I-270 in St. Louis on a weekday afternoon, several people would have been killed or maimed. I was impressed.
I was also impressed by the speed and efficiency of the pit crews. I don't know how any of them can make heads or tails of the whole thing. After the tire blowout, most of the other drivers took the opportunity for a pit stop. What a chaotic scene, with pit crews flying into action just as the drivers pull into a space so small it looks like they're parallel parking, then in a matter of seconds, he's flying back onto the track again. Wow.
The other thing I liked about this race was that Jeff Gordon won. Now, as I said, I'm no racing fan, but I live in southern Missouri, and you have to be completely culturally ignorant not to be aware of what Gordon represents to NASCAR fans: he's redneck kryptonite. They hate him. And in the same vein, they love Dale Earnhart, Jr., so a win for Gordon is a loss for Earnhart, which pisses off rednecks nationwide. And there's nothing I like better than something that pisses off a redneck. The only way it could have been better was if Hillary Clinton had been in the winner's circle to plant a big soul kiss on Jeff as he sprayed Pepsi all over his crew. Yee-hah!
But as I read the recap story of the race in the local paper, I noticed that in this race, along with Daytona, the cars are equipped with something called "restrictor plates," which evidently reduces the horsepower of the engines. Now, I guess that this is designed for: a) safety; b) improved competition; or c) someone's getting kickbacks from the manufacturers of restrictor plates. There's just something about that that I don't like. Restrictor plates. Restrictions. You can only go "this fast."
Bullshit!
NASCAR can be all about the skill of their drivers on a level playing field. If you want me to spend what little of my income is left for entertainment, I want to see a race where there are literally no restrictions whatsoever on the type of vehicle you can enter. Extreme racing. Mad Max on a two-mile oval track. Corvette's with 450-cubic inch engines. Pickup trucks with huge nitrous-oxide boosters in the payload bed. A Winnebago with a jet engine mounted on the roof. Motorcycles. Dune buggies. If it rolls on wheels and runs on gasoline, let it race. And you're only allowed to pit for gasoline. If your tires blow out, too bad—you lose! And forget about all these professional racing teams; make this a regional sport in which backyard mechanics can create the ultimate tricked-out racing monster and race it for cash and glory. Tell me this wouldn't be a huge hit both in person and on cable television. Sell it to USA Network—if they'll show reruns of the Japanese geek-fest "Most Extreme Challenge," they would jump at this idea.
Oh, and by the way, consider this concept "copyright 2005, The Sandman." After all, internet sportswriting pays even less than teaching!
At one point, a driver's rear tire blew out and his car started spinning around, with debris and smoke going everywhere. Not only was the driver not hurt, he managed to get back into the race, but that's not even the amazing part. Not one other driver wrecked as a result of the blowout and subsequent spin. They just dodged the damaged car, the flying tire skin and drove through a blanket of smoke, all at well over 100 miles an hour without crashing into each other. Had this been I-270 in St. Louis on a weekday afternoon, several people would have been killed or maimed. I was impressed.
I was also impressed by the speed and efficiency of the pit crews. I don't know how any of them can make heads or tails of the whole thing. After the tire blowout, most of the other drivers took the opportunity for a pit stop. What a chaotic scene, with pit crews flying into action just as the drivers pull into a space so small it looks like they're parallel parking, then in a matter of seconds, he's flying back onto the track again. Wow.
The other thing I liked about this race was that Jeff Gordon won. Now, as I said, I'm no racing fan, but I live in southern Missouri, and you have to be completely culturally ignorant not to be aware of what Gordon represents to NASCAR fans: he's redneck kryptonite. They hate him. And in the same vein, they love Dale Earnhart, Jr., so a win for Gordon is a loss for Earnhart, which pisses off rednecks nationwide. And there's nothing I like better than something that pisses off a redneck. The only way it could have been better was if Hillary Clinton had been in the winner's circle to plant a big soul kiss on Jeff as he sprayed Pepsi all over his crew. Yee-hah!
But as I read the recap story of the race in the local paper, I noticed that in this race, along with Daytona, the cars are equipped with something called "restrictor plates," which evidently reduces the horsepower of the engines. Now, I guess that this is designed for: a) safety; b) improved competition; or c) someone's getting kickbacks from the manufacturers of restrictor plates. There's just something about that that I don't like. Restrictor plates. Restrictions. You can only go "this fast."
Bullshit!
NASCAR can be all about the skill of their drivers on a level playing field. If you want me to spend what little of my income is left for entertainment, I want to see a race where there are literally no restrictions whatsoever on the type of vehicle you can enter. Extreme racing. Mad Max on a two-mile oval track. Corvette's with 450-cubic inch engines. Pickup trucks with huge nitrous-oxide boosters in the payload bed. A Winnebago with a jet engine mounted on the roof. Motorcycles. Dune buggies. If it rolls on wheels and runs on gasoline, let it race. And you're only allowed to pit for gasoline. If your tires blow out, too bad—you lose! And forget about all these professional racing teams; make this a regional sport in which backyard mechanics can create the ultimate tricked-out racing monster and race it for cash and glory. Tell me this wouldn't be a huge hit both in person and on cable television. Sell it to USA Network—if they'll show reruns of the Japanese geek-fest "Most Extreme Challenge," they would jump at this idea.
Oh, and by the way, consider this concept "copyright 2005, The Sandman." After all, internet sportswriting pays even less than teaching!
The Week That Was—Sports Edition
Sorry, sports fans, but my duties to the college I work for, which includes both teaching five classes and graphic design work, have prevented me from posting regularly in the past week, so I hope I can make up for it with this quick recap.
Baseball
I was going to start off the blog by eviscerating the Cardinals for their three-game losing streak until I woke up to find out that the Birds rallied for seven (!) runs in the top of the ninth against the napalmed remains of the Cincinnati bullpen to win the game 10 to 9. I guess Yogi was right when he said "It's not over 'till it's over." This is especially true with Tony LaRussa's Cardinals teams of the past four years, all of whom have shown the gritty determination to play nine full innings regardless of the score.
That's what made the series loss in Atlanta—one in which they should have swept the light-hitting Braves—especially frustrating: the Cardinals are not driving in runs when they have the opportunity, and none of their Big Four—Walker, Pujols, Edmonds, Rolen—are producing at a sufficient level. Last year, Scott Rolen carried this team singlehandedly on his bat until the others game around to hitting consistently. All four sluggers will hit their strides, of that I have no doubt, but right now, it's discouraging to see them fail consistently to drive in runs, especially when there are less than two outs. It will come around in time, but until then, we'll have to keep gritting our teeth through low-scoring one-run games.
On the bright side of a down game, props have to get shouted out to LaRussa for taking one for the team against one of the most incompetent home plate umpires in recent memory in Saturday night's game. Al Reyes should have gotten a call that resulted in a strike-out/thrown-out double play. Instead, the umpire called ball four, bases loaded. The ball was knee-high over the middle of the plate. Fool me once, shame on you... So Randy Flores comes in and gets the same call on ball four that should have been strike three, in comes the tying run, here comes Tony. Fool me twice...uhh...won't get fooled again (G.W. Bush). For those of you who don't read lips, he said, "That was bulls***. That was f***ing bulls***." Sure, he got tossed, but it was worth it to see him tell the umpire what the rest of us were thinking.
Football
Couple of interesting notes from Rams and Vikings rookie minicamps. First from St. Louis, Mike Martz said of couple of interesting things. First, he named first-round pick Alex Barron the team's starting right tackle. The Rams have a history of breaking down rookies mentally and physically, especially on the defensive side, and they haven't always bounced back to succeed in the NFL. Will Barron undergo the same harsh initiation, or will Mad Mike treat him with softer gloves because of the Rams' glaring needs at RT? Probably a little of both, I would imagine. He'll need to toughen up just because the game is tougher at the pro level, but the Rams HAVE to enable Barron to succeed if their offense has any hope this year.
Martz also had high praise for their seventh-round QB pick, Ryan Fitzpatrick from Harvard (great Ivy League name, huh? Does he talk with a Hyannisport accent?). It's common knowledge that the Rams' playbook is the largest and most complex in the league, so it's no surprise that a QB with a degree in economics (!) from Harvard would appeal to the mad scientist who sometimes resembles a football coach. To be honest, I would bet more on this guy's future success than either of the QBs picked in the first round (Tom Brady, anyone?).
Second, a great little tidbid from Vikings camp taken from the Star-Tribune website (linked here as "The Purple Page"). New cornerback Fred Smoot, who has succeeded Randy Moss as the team's motormouth on the field, was taunting first-round pick Troy Williamson, the speedy wideout from S. Carolina. The rookie ran straight at Smoot, deked, then shot off away from him, leaving the cornerback in the dust as Williamson snagged a 60-yard TD strike from Daunte Culpepper. NFC North teams better bring fire extinguishers this fall, because the Vikings offense is going to smoke them all. Bet on it.
Basketball
I'm not an NBA fan at all, but I usually pay attention during playoff time. Having said that, I'm disappointed with most of these first-round matchups, most of which aren't even competitive. The league makes too much money off of their TV contracts to reduce the number of playoff teams or return these first-round series to best-of-five, but is anyone watching? Is anyone excited? Let's get on to the next round; I want to see Shaq throw down when it counts, not when he's not even really needed on the floor. BORRR-RIIIING!!!
Hockey
"You want fries with that?"
"Haven't I seen you on TV before?"
"I don't know what you're talking aboot, eh!"
Baseball
I was going to start off the blog by eviscerating the Cardinals for their three-game losing streak until I woke up to find out that the Birds rallied for seven (!) runs in the top of the ninth against the napalmed remains of the Cincinnati bullpen to win the game 10 to 9. I guess Yogi was right when he said "It's not over 'till it's over." This is especially true with Tony LaRussa's Cardinals teams of the past four years, all of whom have shown the gritty determination to play nine full innings regardless of the score.
That's what made the series loss in Atlanta—one in which they should have swept the light-hitting Braves—especially frustrating: the Cardinals are not driving in runs when they have the opportunity, and none of their Big Four—Walker, Pujols, Edmonds, Rolen—are producing at a sufficient level. Last year, Scott Rolen carried this team singlehandedly on his bat until the others game around to hitting consistently. All four sluggers will hit their strides, of that I have no doubt, but right now, it's discouraging to see them fail consistently to drive in runs, especially when there are less than two outs. It will come around in time, but until then, we'll have to keep gritting our teeth through low-scoring one-run games.
On the bright side of a down game, props have to get shouted out to LaRussa for taking one for the team against one of the most incompetent home plate umpires in recent memory in Saturday night's game. Al Reyes should have gotten a call that resulted in a strike-out/thrown-out double play. Instead, the umpire called ball four, bases loaded. The ball was knee-high over the middle of the plate. Fool me once, shame on you... So Randy Flores comes in and gets the same call on ball four that should have been strike three, in comes the tying run, here comes Tony. Fool me twice...uhh...won't get fooled again (G.W. Bush). For those of you who don't read lips, he said, "That was bulls***. That was f***ing bulls***." Sure, he got tossed, but it was worth it to see him tell the umpire what the rest of us were thinking.
Football
Couple of interesting notes from Rams and Vikings rookie minicamps. First from St. Louis, Mike Martz said of couple of interesting things. First, he named first-round pick Alex Barron the team's starting right tackle. The Rams have a history of breaking down rookies mentally and physically, especially on the defensive side, and they haven't always bounced back to succeed in the NFL. Will Barron undergo the same harsh initiation, or will Mad Mike treat him with softer gloves because of the Rams' glaring needs at RT? Probably a little of both, I would imagine. He'll need to toughen up just because the game is tougher at the pro level, but the Rams HAVE to enable Barron to succeed if their offense has any hope this year.
Martz also had high praise for their seventh-round QB pick, Ryan Fitzpatrick from Harvard (great Ivy League name, huh? Does he talk with a Hyannisport accent?). It's common knowledge that the Rams' playbook is the largest and most complex in the league, so it's no surprise that a QB with a degree in economics (!) from Harvard would appeal to the mad scientist who sometimes resembles a football coach. To be honest, I would bet more on this guy's future success than either of the QBs picked in the first round (Tom Brady, anyone?).
Second, a great little tidbid from Vikings camp taken from the Star-Tribune website (linked here as "The Purple Page"). New cornerback Fred Smoot, who has succeeded Randy Moss as the team's motormouth on the field, was taunting first-round pick Troy Williamson, the speedy wideout from S. Carolina. The rookie ran straight at Smoot, deked, then shot off away from him, leaving the cornerback in the dust as Williamson snagged a 60-yard TD strike from Daunte Culpepper. NFC North teams better bring fire extinguishers this fall, because the Vikings offense is going to smoke them all. Bet on it.
Basketball
I'm not an NBA fan at all, but I usually pay attention during playoff time. Having said that, I'm disappointed with most of these first-round matchups, most of which aren't even competitive. The league makes too much money off of their TV contracts to reduce the number of playoff teams or return these first-round series to best-of-five, but is anyone watching? Is anyone excited? Let's get on to the next round; I want to see Shaq throw down when it counts, not when he's not even really needed on the floor. BORRR-RIIIING!!!
Hockey
"You want fries with that?"
"Haven't I seen you on TV before?"
"I don't know what you're talking aboot, eh!"
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
NFL Draft Winners and Losers
All in all, it was a terrific draft, although I must concur with Peter King of Sports Illustrated in that the time allowed "on the clock" for teams to pick should be reduced. If they haven't made up their minds by the time their pick rolls around, an extra five minutes isn't going to make much difference.
Draft Winners
Arizona Cardinals—I remember when the Gridbirds were in St. Louis and the only question was how badly would George Boone and Bill Bidwell and the rest of the Cardinals brain(dead)trust screw up their draft picks. Well, Denny Green has brought in a new attitude, and it's looking more and more like Arizona could legitimately contend for a playoff spot this year. They were fortunate to get Antrel Rolle to fall to their #8 spot, then they further solidified their running game with J.J. Arrington, then went back to work on their defense, for the most part. If Seattle stumbles, they could win the NFC West.
Minnesota Vikings—They went for speed over size in selecting Troy Williamson at WR to replace Randy Moss, then got a huge break when Erasmus James, a big, fast, pass-rushed DE was available with their second first-round pick at #18. They also picked up an offensive lineman to back up the aging David Dixon, another running back (the Vikings are second only to Denver in producing quality RBs) and more help in the defensive secondary. The Vikings' defense will be so dramatically improved this year that the resulting release of pressure on the offense to outscore opponents should actually free Daunte and company to relax and light up the scoreboard like a pinball machine. Is this the year? Well, Vikings fans think every year is the year, but at least this time, our optimism is legitimate.
Losers
St. Louis Rams—You can't argue with their first-round selection of Alex Barron. The kid has a mountain of size and potential, and he could be an All-Pro if the Rams coaching staff figures out how to motivate him to work harder than scouts say he did at Florida State. They had to pick the best lineman available, especially after the Saints moved up and took Jammal Brown (see, I TOLD you New Orleans would try to screw us). The rest of the Rams draft, however, are all projects and reaches. I don't know why Mike Martz continues to draft players that could develop under the right circumstances when what he needs are players who can step in right now and fill needs. New England can afford coaching projects; the Rams can't, and that's why their second and third round picks look like wastes at this point. We shall see...
Detroit Lions—They play in a division against Daunte Culpepper and Brett Favre and only drafted one player for the defensive secondary. Stupid. Sure, Williams was a tempting pick, but they didn't need another wide receiver. The Vikings did, desperately, and they picked someone else, which tells me all I need to know at this point. The Lions need help on defense, and they didn't get it.
Draft Winners
Arizona Cardinals—I remember when the Gridbirds were in St. Louis and the only question was how badly would George Boone and Bill Bidwell and the rest of the Cardinals brain(dead)trust screw up their draft picks. Well, Denny Green has brought in a new attitude, and it's looking more and more like Arizona could legitimately contend for a playoff spot this year. They were fortunate to get Antrel Rolle to fall to their #8 spot, then they further solidified their running game with J.J. Arrington, then went back to work on their defense, for the most part. If Seattle stumbles, they could win the NFC West.
Minnesota Vikings—They went for speed over size in selecting Troy Williamson at WR to replace Randy Moss, then got a huge break when Erasmus James, a big, fast, pass-rushed DE was available with their second first-round pick at #18. They also picked up an offensive lineman to back up the aging David Dixon, another running back (the Vikings are second only to Denver in producing quality RBs) and more help in the defensive secondary. The Vikings' defense will be so dramatically improved this year that the resulting release of pressure on the offense to outscore opponents should actually free Daunte and company to relax and light up the scoreboard like a pinball machine. Is this the year? Well, Vikings fans think every year is the year, but at least this time, our optimism is legitimate.
Losers
St. Louis Rams—You can't argue with their first-round selection of Alex Barron. The kid has a mountain of size and potential, and he could be an All-Pro if the Rams coaching staff figures out how to motivate him to work harder than scouts say he did at Florida State. They had to pick the best lineman available, especially after the Saints moved up and took Jammal Brown (see, I TOLD you New Orleans would try to screw us). The rest of the Rams draft, however, are all projects and reaches. I don't know why Mike Martz continues to draft players that could develop under the right circumstances when what he needs are players who can step in right now and fill needs. New England can afford coaching projects; the Rams can't, and that's why their second and third round picks look like wastes at this point. We shall see...
Detroit Lions—They play in a division against Daunte Culpepper and Brett Favre and only drafted one player for the defensive secondary. Stupid. Sure, Williams was a tempting pick, but they didn't need another wide receiver. The Vikings did, desperately, and they picked someone else, which tells me all I need to know at this point. The Lions need help on defense, and they didn't get it.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Some Pre-Draft Thoughts on a Saturday Morning
I think one of the more interesting aspects of the NFL draft is how it has evolved into such a spectacular national event. This is due directly to the influence and popularity of ESPN and their ability to successfully market what had once been a very dull and businesslike weekend for previously unseen and unknown NFL team executives. They have, due to their draft coverage, elevated the position of general manager to a celebrity on par with the head coaches themselves. The same can be said for many owners, who have used the draft coverage to enhance their already massive egos.
All that being said, the draft is a wonderful diversion in an otherwise sports-thin spring. As I've commented on before, baseball is just getting started, it's too early in the NBA and NHL (remember them?) playoffs to warrant serious excitement yet, and the real football season is still months away. The draft gives NFL fans a chance to begin generating their fanatic, illogical optimism about the season that is to come. A big-name first round draft pick can get a city excited about a season that won't start for another four months, and the hype carries us through training camp and preseason, especially when said pick shows promise in the summer run-up to the regular season.
Since the coverage is ESPN's baby, I'm going to use their mock draft for my comments. Check back in tomorrow to see if they were right and to see what I've got to say about it.
1. San Francisco 49ers: Alex Smith, QB, Utah—Yes, SF needs a QB, and Smith seems to be the top guy with all the skills, but when is the last time a #1 QB picked made an impact? Peyton Manning? Yeah, Peyton's an elite player, but he can't beat the team led by a QB picked in the SIXTH round, namely NE's Tom Brady. Smith is going to get killed this year trying to play as rookie behind an inept O-line and with a weak running game. He should hold out for a HUGE signing bonus, 'cause this year will be no fun at all for him.
2. Miami Dolphins: Aaron Rodgers, QB, Cal—same problems as the #1 pick; remember who got picked right after Peyton Manning? Ryan Leaf. I'm not saying Rodgers will be as huge a bust, but I don't see this pick as a sure thing. My money's on Miami trading down with either Minnesota, Washington or St. Louis.
3. Cleveland Browns: Braylon Edwards, WR, Michigan—Don't be surprised if Cleveland picks Rodgers if he's available. Sure, Edwards has huge potential, but who's gonna throw him the ball? Trent Dilfer? Please.
4. Chicago Bears: Cedric Benson, RB, Texas—A stupid pick. They've got a decent running game in Chicago. What they don't have is a decent QB. If they want a running back, there's plenty available. If I'm Chicago, I'm trading down out of this spot, too. Plenty of good running backs out there for less money in a lower pick.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Cadillac Williams, RB, Auburn—A solid pick if the top two QBs are gone. They desperately need a running back, a difference maker, and either Benson or Williams would fit in well with Chuckie's offense.
6. Tennessee Titans: Antrel Rolle, CB, Miami—Huh? Tennessee's problem is their offense, not their defense. If you can't get a QB to succeed McNair or an elite RB, trade down for more picks.
7. Minnesota Vikings: Mike Williams, WR, USC—Short of trading up to get Braylon Edwards (it's typically delusional of Vikings fans to think he'll drop this far...), this is the pick the Vikings HAVE to make. Nate Burleson is a nice receiver, but he does not strike fear into the hearts of defensive coordinators like Randy Moss did. Williams is big, strong, can jump up and take the ball away. What about speed? Speed, schmeed—he just needs to be one step faster than the defense. Daunte needs another go-to guy, and Williams—in this spot—is just that. If they can trade up, fine, but not if it costs their other first-round pick. They might switch spots with St. Louis, but only if later rounds or future picks are involved. No way I'm giving away an extra first-round pick.
8. Arizona Cardinals: Adam Williams, CB, West Virginia—A shut-down cornerback is a necessity in the NFC West when you're going up against St. Louis and Seattle. This is a no-brainer. But, then again, Bill Bidwell has no brain, so you never know.
9. Washington Redskins: Carlos Rogers, CB, Auburn—Not sure why Washington would pick a cornerback this early; they have so many other holes to fill. Joe Gibbs will probably go another direction.
10. Detroit Lions: Derrick Johnson, LB, Texas—they need secondary help to compete with Minnesota and Green Bay, plus help on the D-line.
11. Dallas Cowboys: DeMarcus Ware, DE/LB, Troy St.—who really knows what the Tuna will do? He needs more offensive help than defense, though, like another receiver for Bledsoe to throw to.
12. San Diego Chargers: Shawne Merriman, LB, Maryland—Absolutely. Gotta fill that hole that letting Junior Seau go left behind.
13. Houston Texans: Ronnie Brown, RB, Auburn—I don't care.
14. Carolina Panthers: Alex Barron, OL, Florida State—A solid pick, but don't be surprised if they trade with St. Louis so that Rams can take this guy.
15. Kansas City Chiefs: Marcus Spears, DE, LSU—The Chiefs need defensive help everywhere, so if this guy is the best defensive athlete available at the time, go for it. They could also trade with St. Louis in order to get more lower-round picks.
16. New Orleans Saints: Thomas Davis, S, Georgia—They might take Jammal Brown from Oklahoma just to spite the Rams, but St. Louis covets Davis, too, so this accomplishes the same thing. St. Louis would kill to pick ahead of the Saints for this same reason. It's too bad we're not in the same division any more. This was turning into a really nasty rivalry.
17. Cincinnati Bengals: Troy Williamson, WR, South Carolina—The Bengals suck. Does it really matter who they pick? Yeah, I didn't think so, either.
18. Minnesota Vikings: Erasmus James, DE, Wisconsin—Or David Pollack out of Georgia, or Spears, Ware or Merriman, if they're available, or even Williamson if Cincy doesn't pick him. There's a lot to be done with this pick, which is why they CAN'T trade this one away to move up ahead of seventh. Even if Edwards and Willams are both gone at seven, they could take Williamson and still be okay, or take the best defensive player and hope Williamson is still here at 18. Just don't trade it away!
19. St. Louis Rams: Jammal Brown, OT, Oklahoma—Sure, if he's still available. I think if they can swing a deal to move ahead of Carolina and take Barron, they will. They have to get help on their O-line before Bulger is road kill on the Ed Jones turf.
20 and beyond—too hard to predict; plus, I couldn't care less about any of these other teams, and I'm sure you're tired of reading by now. My draft wrap-up will, as you can guess, focus on Minnesota and St. Louis, because let's be honest, those are the only two teams I'm rooting for, anyway. See ya soon.
All that being said, the draft is a wonderful diversion in an otherwise sports-thin spring. As I've commented on before, baseball is just getting started, it's too early in the NBA and NHL (remember them?) playoffs to warrant serious excitement yet, and the real football season is still months away. The draft gives NFL fans a chance to begin generating their fanatic, illogical optimism about the season that is to come. A big-name first round draft pick can get a city excited about a season that won't start for another four months, and the hype carries us through training camp and preseason, especially when said pick shows promise in the summer run-up to the regular season.
Since the coverage is ESPN's baby, I'm going to use their mock draft for my comments. Check back in tomorrow to see if they were right and to see what I've got to say about it.
1. San Francisco 49ers: Alex Smith, QB, Utah—Yes, SF needs a QB, and Smith seems to be the top guy with all the skills, but when is the last time a #1 QB picked made an impact? Peyton Manning? Yeah, Peyton's an elite player, but he can't beat the team led by a QB picked in the SIXTH round, namely NE's Tom Brady. Smith is going to get killed this year trying to play as rookie behind an inept O-line and with a weak running game. He should hold out for a HUGE signing bonus, 'cause this year will be no fun at all for him.
2. Miami Dolphins: Aaron Rodgers, QB, Cal—same problems as the #1 pick; remember who got picked right after Peyton Manning? Ryan Leaf. I'm not saying Rodgers will be as huge a bust, but I don't see this pick as a sure thing. My money's on Miami trading down with either Minnesota, Washington or St. Louis.
3. Cleveland Browns: Braylon Edwards, WR, Michigan—Don't be surprised if Cleveland picks Rodgers if he's available. Sure, Edwards has huge potential, but who's gonna throw him the ball? Trent Dilfer? Please.
4. Chicago Bears: Cedric Benson, RB, Texas—A stupid pick. They've got a decent running game in Chicago. What they don't have is a decent QB. If they want a running back, there's plenty available. If I'm Chicago, I'm trading down out of this spot, too. Plenty of good running backs out there for less money in a lower pick.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Cadillac Williams, RB, Auburn—A solid pick if the top two QBs are gone. They desperately need a running back, a difference maker, and either Benson or Williams would fit in well with Chuckie's offense.
6. Tennessee Titans: Antrel Rolle, CB, Miami—Huh? Tennessee's problem is their offense, not their defense. If you can't get a QB to succeed McNair or an elite RB, trade down for more picks.
7. Minnesota Vikings: Mike Williams, WR, USC—Short of trading up to get Braylon Edwards (it's typically delusional of Vikings fans to think he'll drop this far...), this is the pick the Vikings HAVE to make. Nate Burleson is a nice receiver, but he does not strike fear into the hearts of defensive coordinators like Randy Moss did. Williams is big, strong, can jump up and take the ball away. What about speed? Speed, schmeed—he just needs to be one step faster than the defense. Daunte needs another go-to guy, and Williams—in this spot—is just that. If they can trade up, fine, but not if it costs their other first-round pick. They might switch spots with St. Louis, but only if later rounds or future picks are involved. No way I'm giving away an extra first-round pick.
8. Arizona Cardinals: Adam Williams, CB, West Virginia—A shut-down cornerback is a necessity in the NFC West when you're going up against St. Louis and Seattle. This is a no-brainer. But, then again, Bill Bidwell has no brain, so you never know.
9. Washington Redskins: Carlos Rogers, CB, Auburn—Not sure why Washington would pick a cornerback this early; they have so many other holes to fill. Joe Gibbs will probably go another direction.
10. Detroit Lions: Derrick Johnson, LB, Texas—they need secondary help to compete with Minnesota and Green Bay, plus help on the D-line.
11. Dallas Cowboys: DeMarcus Ware, DE/LB, Troy St.—who really knows what the Tuna will do? He needs more offensive help than defense, though, like another receiver for Bledsoe to throw to.
12. San Diego Chargers: Shawne Merriman, LB, Maryland—Absolutely. Gotta fill that hole that letting Junior Seau go left behind.
13. Houston Texans: Ronnie Brown, RB, Auburn—I don't care.
14. Carolina Panthers: Alex Barron, OL, Florida State—A solid pick, but don't be surprised if they trade with St. Louis so that Rams can take this guy.
15. Kansas City Chiefs: Marcus Spears, DE, LSU—The Chiefs need defensive help everywhere, so if this guy is the best defensive athlete available at the time, go for it. They could also trade with St. Louis in order to get more lower-round picks.
16. New Orleans Saints: Thomas Davis, S, Georgia—They might take Jammal Brown from Oklahoma just to spite the Rams, but St. Louis covets Davis, too, so this accomplishes the same thing. St. Louis would kill to pick ahead of the Saints for this same reason. It's too bad we're not in the same division any more. This was turning into a really nasty rivalry.
17. Cincinnati Bengals: Troy Williamson, WR, South Carolina—The Bengals suck. Does it really matter who they pick? Yeah, I didn't think so, either.
18. Minnesota Vikings: Erasmus James, DE, Wisconsin—Or David Pollack out of Georgia, or Spears, Ware or Merriman, if they're available, or even Williamson if Cincy doesn't pick him. There's a lot to be done with this pick, which is why they CAN'T trade this one away to move up ahead of seventh. Even if Edwards and Willams are both gone at seven, they could take Williamson and still be okay, or take the best defensive player and hope Williamson is still here at 18. Just don't trade it away!
19. St. Louis Rams: Jammal Brown, OT, Oklahoma—Sure, if he's still available. I think if they can swing a deal to move ahead of Carolina and take Barron, they will. They have to get help on their O-line before Bulger is road kill on the Ed Jones turf.
20 and beyond—too hard to predict; plus, I couldn't care less about any of these other teams, and I'm sure you're tired of reading by now. My draft wrap-up will, as you can guess, focus on Minnesota and St. Louis, because let's be honest, those are the only two teams I'm rooting for, anyway. See ya soon.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Unpress the Panic Button
Okay, Cardinal Nation, can we all just relax now? Five games, five quality starts from each member of the starting rotation, and five wins. Jeff Suppan pitched 8+ shutout innings. Jason Marquis was absolutely unhittable after a bit of a rocky start, and the offense got him the win. Chris Carpenter was back in his prime form from last year before his nerve injury. And what was most pleasant from the past two evenings in Pittsburgh, the arrival (at last) of Mark Mulder and the return of Matt Morris.
One of the more annoying things about fans of winning programs, which includes, in baseball, the Cardinals and the Yankees, is the speed at which certain fans start screaming and yelling when the team isn't playing all that well. What we have to remember is that the baseball season, more than any other sport, is a marathon race. Quick out of the gate doesn't necessarily mean anything.
A week ago when the paid "experts" in St. Louis were trying to analyze why Cardinals hitters couldn't hit and why their pitchers couldn't pitch were overlooking one simple fact: It was only the first 5 or 6 games out of 162. It takes a while for some teams—especially veteran teams like St. Louis and New York—to get into the rhythm of winning.
The Yankees may have some age problems, but they also have unlimited resources, so whatever might need fixing will probably get fixed. The Cardinals have far fewer financial resources to work with, but Walt Jocketty and Tony LaRussa didn't spend the winter getting stupid. They kept the parts they needed and replaced the parts that were missing with the best players available that they could afford.
Pitchers don't come right out of the gate and pitch great. It takes them a few real games that actually count in the standings to work out all the details of their delivery, location, pitch selection and physical feel for the game. Not to mention that they're working with a young catcher who's still learning how to handle a big-league rotation on a daily basis. Five games, five quality starts, five wins. Now we know what they're capable of.
The hitting has started to wake up in Pittsburgh, as well. Hitters don't need to make as many adjustments as pitchers, and if anyone out there really thinks that Walker, Pujols, Rolen and Edmonds are all going to have sub-.300 seasons, then you really need to think about cutting back on your pot habit.
And yes, I know it was Milwaukee and Pittsburgh. We should beat those teams, absolutely. We should beat just about every team in the National League at least two out of every three with only a few exceptions. Look who we lost to: Philly and Cincinnati, two teams that yours truly said were going to be competitive this year. Well, they're living up to my expectations, at least so far. By beating the teams we should beat, we put the pressure on the other teams in our division who are already chasing us.
We're 8-4 and in first place in the Central Division. Chill out, people.
One of the more annoying things about fans of winning programs, which includes, in baseball, the Cardinals and the Yankees, is the speed at which certain fans start screaming and yelling when the team isn't playing all that well. What we have to remember is that the baseball season, more than any other sport, is a marathon race. Quick out of the gate doesn't necessarily mean anything.
A week ago when the paid "experts" in St. Louis were trying to analyze why Cardinals hitters couldn't hit and why their pitchers couldn't pitch were overlooking one simple fact: It was only the first 5 or 6 games out of 162. It takes a while for some teams—especially veteran teams like St. Louis and New York—to get into the rhythm of winning.
The Yankees may have some age problems, but they also have unlimited resources, so whatever might need fixing will probably get fixed. The Cardinals have far fewer financial resources to work with, but Walt Jocketty and Tony LaRussa didn't spend the winter getting stupid. They kept the parts they needed and replaced the parts that were missing with the best players available that they could afford.
Pitchers don't come right out of the gate and pitch great. It takes them a few real games that actually count in the standings to work out all the details of their delivery, location, pitch selection and physical feel for the game. Not to mention that they're working with a young catcher who's still learning how to handle a big-league rotation on a daily basis. Five games, five quality starts, five wins. Now we know what they're capable of.
The hitting has started to wake up in Pittsburgh, as well. Hitters don't need to make as many adjustments as pitchers, and if anyone out there really thinks that Walker, Pujols, Rolen and Edmonds are all going to have sub-.300 seasons, then you really need to think about cutting back on your pot habit.
And yes, I know it was Milwaukee and Pittsburgh. We should beat those teams, absolutely. We should beat just about every team in the National League at least two out of every three with only a few exceptions. Look who we lost to: Philly and Cincinnati, two teams that yours truly said were going to be competitive this year. Well, they're living up to my expectations, at least so far. By beating the teams we should beat, we put the pressure on the other teams in our division who are already chasing us.
We're 8-4 and in first place in the Central Division. Chill out, people.
Saturday, April 09, 2005
An Ode to Busch Stadium
Well, not a real ode; I suck as a poet, so I won't even try to subject you to my attempts at verse. What I do want to talk about, now that the Cardinals have opened their home season—and their last at what will from this point on be known in Cardinal Nation as "Old Busch Stadium"—with a sloppy and improbable win over the Phillies, are my three most memorable experiences at the stadium.
1982—World Series, Game Six
I was a freshman in high school in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and our marching band was recognized as the top band in the state; it was a tradition that has, sadly, fallen into the mists of history since I graduated almost t#@&%$y years ago. At that time, freshman couldn't even get into the big band; we had our own "jayvee" farm team band, but a few select freshmen, including me, were given the "honor" of working as the roadie crew for the big band.
I know what you're thinking, but remember just how gullible most ninth graders are.
Anyway, almost at the last minute, the band got the invitation to play the pre-game ceremonies at game six. The bad news was that the game was a sellout, and we wouldn't be able to stay and watch the game. The good news was that when the right field wagon gates opened, another freshman and I were the first ones through the gate and out onto the field.
It was immense. The astroturf felt unusally soft and squishy beneath my feet. The perfect circle of the stadium top expanded above me like an infinite panorama. Red, white and blue bunting hung from the field, mezzanine and terrace sections, and the buzzing hum of the crowd was like the initial rumblings of an impending explosion. I felt as small and insignificant as I had on any night gazing up at a trillion stars or huddling in bed as a huge thunderstorm exploded outside my window. At the same time, it was then and remains to this day one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. I stood on the playing field of a World Series game on game day.
1993—United Way Day at the Ballpark
My first "real" job after graduating college was with the United Way in St. Louis. Part of my job in their Marketing Dept. was coordinating an annual United Way night at a Cardinals game. It was an insane amount of work, but I was young and single and didn't have anything better to do than work 75-80 hours a week (which is probably why many entry-level corporate jobs come with huge tasks such as this one). I had to organize about 30 different agencies that we supported to send representatives to the game to march around the field prior to the first pitch.
The night went fine; as a borderline obsessive (okay, so I'm way over the line), I had all the details quintuple-checked beforehand. But three things about that night stand out. First, as the agency folks—most of whom were kids, because nothing separates people from their money better than cute kids—marched around, they came out of the right field gate, headed around the outfield toward third base, turned across the back of the infield toward first, and then back out down the first base line. While this was going on, Gregg Jefferies (remember him?) was throwing warm-ups with Todd Zeile (forgotten about him?) down the first base side. Jefferies stopped throwing as the line of kids reached him and took the time to shake hands with them as they passed. Sure, he was no Ozzie Smith, but to these kids, many poor, some handicapped, all blown away to be at Busch Stadium, shaking hands with an honest-to-goodness big league ballplayer—and a Cardinal, to boot—was certainly a memory to treasure. The coolest part was that I had never spoken to the Cardinals in general or any player in particular about doing what Jefferies did; he greeted the kids because he wanted to. I've never forgotten that about him.
Second, I also coordinated the media relations for that same game, so after the pregame, I got to go into the press box, where I met Jack Buck, Mike Shannon and Joe Buck. Solid class, all around. Jack Buck treated me—25 years old at the time—like I was just as important as anyone else in the booth. Same with Mike and Joe. What you hear from them on the radio and TV is the same as they are when you meet them in person. Third, at the time, you ate for free in the press box. Brats, cheeseburgers, roast beef sandwiches, nachos, everything you could have wanted. Bernie Miklasz of the Post-Dispatch, who I had never met in person before that night, easily topped 300 pounds at that time. Bernie, God bless him, has dropped a lot of that weight, but now that I'm in my late 30s, if I had that job today and they fed me free stadium bratwursts every night, I'd look like Jabba the Hutt.
1998—Mac hits 69 and 70
I won free tickets to the last game of the season from a business conference I had attended earlier that summer in Cape Girardeau. My wife was seven months pregnant with our fourth child, our first son. The game was at the end of September, a Saturday day game, at it was unseasonably hot. It felt more like the middle of August. My good friend Tuck was also with us that day, so two of my best friends were there to share the experience.
I was pouring bottled water down Amy's shirt to try to keep her cool—summer pregnancies can be oppressive. We were sitting in the terrace box seats directly behind home plate. Mark McGwire was sitting on 68 home runs, having already shattered Roger Maris' record and then held off Sammy Sosa for the rest of the season. The entire stadium stood every time he came to the plate. Number 69 was a moon shot, one of those no-doubters McGwire was famous for. He hit number 70 on his last at-bat. Amy missed seeing it because she was too tired to stand up. I told Tuck that Mac was going to hit one more just before he ripped it, this last one a line drive similar to number 62. That wasn't clairvoyance or even luck, just expectation from a remarkable baseball player having a remarkable season.
I don't care if McGwire did steroids. I really don't. Even a clear admission on his part wouldn't diminish the memory of that day. Does it diminish his accomplishments? I think the question has to be whether he could have done it without taking steroids. Could he have gotten as strong as he did without steroids? Tony LaRussa thought that he had. He certainly was taking andro, and probably a lot of other nutritional supplements that you can get today at most gyms and GNC stores. If he took steroids, did they give him an edge he otherwise wouldn't have had? I don't know enough to say.
If he took steroids with Canseco in Oakland, was he still taking them in St. Louis? If he wasn't taking steroids in 1998, but did earlier in his career, are the home runs still legitimate? History will be the ultimate judge, I suppose. But I won't condemn him or devalue the thrill of experiencing that season as a Cardinals fan. All I know is that for me, on that day, it was an incredible experience that added one more memory to what has been a lifetime of experiences with Busch Stadium. It's the only major league baseball field I've ever been to, and when they tear it down, I hope I have the chance to be in St. Louis to watch it fall. I suppose it will be like attending the funeral for a friend you've known all your life. It will be sad to see it go, but seeing it will remind me of how many good times we've had. Let's relish the 80 games we have left with the old friend.
1982—World Series, Game Six
I was a freshman in high school in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and our marching band was recognized as the top band in the state; it was a tradition that has, sadly, fallen into the mists of history since I graduated almost t#@&%$y years ago. At that time, freshman couldn't even get into the big band; we had our own "jayvee" farm team band, but a few select freshmen, including me, were given the "honor" of working as the roadie crew for the big band.
I know what you're thinking, but remember just how gullible most ninth graders are.
Anyway, almost at the last minute, the band got the invitation to play the pre-game ceremonies at game six. The bad news was that the game was a sellout, and we wouldn't be able to stay and watch the game. The good news was that when the right field wagon gates opened, another freshman and I were the first ones through the gate and out onto the field.
It was immense. The astroturf felt unusally soft and squishy beneath my feet. The perfect circle of the stadium top expanded above me like an infinite panorama. Red, white and blue bunting hung from the field, mezzanine and terrace sections, and the buzzing hum of the crowd was like the initial rumblings of an impending explosion. I felt as small and insignificant as I had on any night gazing up at a trillion stars or huddling in bed as a huge thunderstorm exploded outside my window. At the same time, it was then and remains to this day one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. I stood on the playing field of a World Series game on game day.
1993—United Way Day at the Ballpark
My first "real" job after graduating college was with the United Way in St. Louis. Part of my job in their Marketing Dept. was coordinating an annual United Way night at a Cardinals game. It was an insane amount of work, but I was young and single and didn't have anything better to do than work 75-80 hours a week (which is probably why many entry-level corporate jobs come with huge tasks such as this one). I had to organize about 30 different agencies that we supported to send representatives to the game to march around the field prior to the first pitch.
The night went fine; as a borderline obsessive (okay, so I'm way over the line), I had all the details quintuple-checked beforehand. But three things about that night stand out. First, as the agency folks—most of whom were kids, because nothing separates people from their money better than cute kids—marched around, they came out of the right field gate, headed around the outfield toward third base, turned across the back of the infield toward first, and then back out down the first base line. While this was going on, Gregg Jefferies (remember him?) was throwing warm-ups with Todd Zeile (forgotten about him?) down the first base side. Jefferies stopped throwing as the line of kids reached him and took the time to shake hands with them as they passed. Sure, he was no Ozzie Smith, but to these kids, many poor, some handicapped, all blown away to be at Busch Stadium, shaking hands with an honest-to-goodness big league ballplayer—and a Cardinal, to boot—was certainly a memory to treasure. The coolest part was that I had never spoken to the Cardinals in general or any player in particular about doing what Jefferies did; he greeted the kids because he wanted to. I've never forgotten that about him.
Second, I also coordinated the media relations for that same game, so after the pregame, I got to go into the press box, where I met Jack Buck, Mike Shannon and Joe Buck. Solid class, all around. Jack Buck treated me—25 years old at the time—like I was just as important as anyone else in the booth. Same with Mike and Joe. What you hear from them on the radio and TV is the same as they are when you meet them in person. Third, at the time, you ate for free in the press box. Brats, cheeseburgers, roast beef sandwiches, nachos, everything you could have wanted. Bernie Miklasz of the Post-Dispatch, who I had never met in person before that night, easily topped 300 pounds at that time. Bernie, God bless him, has dropped a lot of that weight, but now that I'm in my late 30s, if I had that job today and they fed me free stadium bratwursts every night, I'd look like Jabba the Hutt.
1998—Mac hits 69 and 70
I won free tickets to the last game of the season from a business conference I had attended earlier that summer in Cape Girardeau. My wife was seven months pregnant with our fourth child, our first son. The game was at the end of September, a Saturday day game, at it was unseasonably hot. It felt more like the middle of August. My good friend Tuck was also with us that day, so two of my best friends were there to share the experience.
I was pouring bottled water down Amy's shirt to try to keep her cool—summer pregnancies can be oppressive. We were sitting in the terrace box seats directly behind home plate. Mark McGwire was sitting on 68 home runs, having already shattered Roger Maris' record and then held off Sammy Sosa for the rest of the season. The entire stadium stood every time he came to the plate. Number 69 was a moon shot, one of those no-doubters McGwire was famous for. He hit number 70 on his last at-bat. Amy missed seeing it because she was too tired to stand up. I told Tuck that Mac was going to hit one more just before he ripped it, this last one a line drive similar to number 62. That wasn't clairvoyance or even luck, just expectation from a remarkable baseball player having a remarkable season.
I don't care if McGwire did steroids. I really don't. Even a clear admission on his part wouldn't diminish the memory of that day. Does it diminish his accomplishments? I think the question has to be whether he could have done it without taking steroids. Could he have gotten as strong as he did without steroids? Tony LaRussa thought that he had. He certainly was taking andro, and probably a lot of other nutritional supplements that you can get today at most gyms and GNC stores. If he took steroids, did they give him an edge he otherwise wouldn't have had? I don't know enough to say.
If he took steroids with Canseco in Oakland, was he still taking them in St. Louis? If he wasn't taking steroids in 1998, but did earlier in his career, are the home runs still legitimate? History will be the ultimate judge, I suppose. But I won't condemn him or devalue the thrill of experiencing that season as a Cardinals fan. All I know is that for me, on that day, it was an incredible experience that added one more memory to what has been a lifetime of experiences with Busch Stadium. It's the only major league baseball field I've ever been to, and when they tear it down, I hope I have the chance to be in St. Louis to watch it fall. I suppose it will be like attending the funeral for a friend you've known all your life. It will be sad to see it go, but seeing it will remind me of how many good times we've had. Let's relish the 80 games we have left with the old friend.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
American League Preview
AL Champions:
New York Yankees
Until MLB institutes a salary cap and revenue sharing, anything else is superfluous.
p.s. Cardinals beat Yankees in six games in World Series
New York Yankees
Until MLB institutes a salary cap and revenue sharing, anything else is superfluous.
p.s. Cardinals beat Yankees in six games in World Series
Monday, April 04, 2005
National League Preview
Before I get to my guaranteed-wrong predictions for this year in the National League, I just want to thank all of you who have checked out "The Sandlot." I also want to thank you all for pointing out my egregious wrongness in my Final Four forecast. You know, there's a reason why I teach English and Philosophy instead of breaking it down with Dan and Stu and Boomer on SportsCenter. But I'm always happy to see others laugh at my expense...
So with that in mind, here are some more wrongheaded predictions for this year in baseball. Remember kids, if you place any bets based on this column, then my friend Tuck has a couple bridges in his state you might be interested in. Oh, and I'm only picking the top three in each division; who cares about the bottom-feeders anyway?
NL EAST
1. Atlanta
2. New York Mets
3. Philadelphia
Atlanta Braves
Strengths: the smartest general manager in the modern era of baseball; starting pitching (what else?)
Weaknesses: perennial bridesmaids; the WORST bandwagon fans in the history of professional sports
New York Mets
Strengths: Pedro Martinez; a crazy owner who spends money like a drunken Steinbrenner
Weaknesses: given today's outcome, their bullpen, obviously
Philadelphia Phillies
Strengths: Jim Thome
Weaknesses: no longer have the steady, even-handed management of Larry Bowa to guide them.
NL Central
1. St. Louis
2. Cincinnati
3. Houston
St. Louis Cardinals
Strengths: Murderer's Row hitting lineup; starting pitching
Weaknesses: pressure of meeting expectations to win in last year in Busch Stadium
Cincinnati
Strengths: Ken Griffey Jr. in center field
Weaknesses: Ken Griffey Jr. on the disabled list
Houston
Strengths: starting pitching
Weaknesses: average age of starting lineup is older than ME
(Where are the Cubs? Screw them, they'll finish 5th behind Milwaukee. Deal with it.)
NL WEST
1. San Diego
2. Los Angeles
3. San Francisco
San Diego Padres
Strengths: good balance of pitching and hitting; veterans and up-and-comers
Weaknesses: surf's up, dude
Los Angeles Dodgers
Strengths: Eric Gagne
Weaknesses: lethargic fans; smog
San Francisco Giants
Strengths: Barry Bonds chasing home run history
Weaknesses: Barry Bonds, de-juiced, grounding weakly to second
Divisional Playoffs:
St. Louis over Los Angeles
Atlanta over San Diego
NL Championship:
St. Louis over Atlanta
next time: AL preview (not that I care...)
So with that in mind, here are some more wrongheaded predictions for this year in baseball. Remember kids, if you place any bets based on this column, then my friend Tuck has a couple bridges in his state you might be interested in. Oh, and I'm only picking the top three in each division; who cares about the bottom-feeders anyway?
NL EAST
1. Atlanta
2. New York Mets
3. Philadelphia
Atlanta Braves
Strengths: the smartest general manager in the modern era of baseball; starting pitching (what else?)
Weaknesses: perennial bridesmaids; the WORST bandwagon fans in the history of professional sports
New York Mets
Strengths: Pedro Martinez; a crazy owner who spends money like a drunken Steinbrenner
Weaknesses: given today's outcome, their bullpen, obviously
Philadelphia Phillies
Strengths: Jim Thome
Weaknesses: no longer have the steady, even-handed management of Larry Bowa to guide them.
NL Central
1. St. Louis
2. Cincinnati
3. Houston
St. Louis Cardinals
Strengths: Murderer's Row hitting lineup; starting pitching
Weaknesses: pressure of meeting expectations to win in last year in Busch Stadium
Cincinnati
Strengths: Ken Griffey Jr. in center field
Weaknesses: Ken Griffey Jr. on the disabled list
Houston
Strengths: starting pitching
Weaknesses: average age of starting lineup is older than ME
(Where are the Cubs? Screw them, they'll finish 5th behind Milwaukee. Deal with it.)
NL WEST
1. San Diego
2. Los Angeles
3. San Francisco
San Diego Padres
Strengths: good balance of pitching and hitting; veterans and up-and-comers
Weaknesses: surf's up, dude
Los Angeles Dodgers
Strengths: Eric Gagne
Weaknesses: lethargic fans; smog
San Francisco Giants
Strengths: Barry Bonds chasing home run history
Weaknesses: Barry Bonds, de-juiced, grounding weakly to second
Divisional Playoffs:
St. Louis over Los Angeles
Atlanta over San Diego
NL Championship:
St. Louis over Atlanta
next time: AL preview (not that I care...)
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Breaking Down the Final Four
One of the things I like best about the NCAAs is when I couldn't care less who wins which game. With Mizzou never in and Kansas bounced early, I've been able to enjoy the games for their sheer excitement. I loved the pace of the games, especially the cliffhanger ending Sunday between Kentucky and Michigan State. I figure many folks have Illinois and NC in their bracket, and I picked Louisville to make it in couple of my espn.com brackets, but Michigan State? Not a huge surprise, sure, especially when you look at Tom Izzo's winning percentage in the tournament, but still unexpected for them to come out of the bracket, especially one when Duke and Kentucky were on the docket. Anyway, St. Louis will be center stage this weekend, so to all my friends in the Gateway City, don't screw this up like Jacksonville did the Superbowl, okay? On to the games and the picks...
Illinois vs. Louisville
In terms of absolute excitement, I think this is the the premiere game of the weekend. Illinois survived a game they should have lost against Arizona, and Louisville hung in against a tough-as-nails West Virginia team who led by as many as 20 points in the first half, so neither one of these teams is going to play with fear or throw in the towel if they get down. Illinois is essentially the home team—St. Louis has as many Illini fans as Mizzou boosters—so they'll have somewhat of a crowd advantage, but don't underestimate Louisville's popularity, either. As a Conference-USA team, they play here every year. My gut instinct is to go with Louisville, but I think it'll be a close, fast, exciting game from buzzer to buzzer.
North Carolina vs. Michigan State
The Spartans have already knocked off two powerhouse teams in Duke and Kentucky, but I wonder if they will be able to match Carolina's physical inside game. Roy Williams has a lot of experience getting to the finals, but he's never been able to win one. Is this the year? It looks like it, and Carolina is the favorite to win it all, but Michigan State's gotten to this point by defying expectations and playing smart basketball. Again, it's just gut instinct, but I'm going with Izzo's boys to pull of the trifecta.
Projected Final
Louisville over Michigan State; just don't blame me if you wager cash and lose. Remember, when it comes to sports, we're all almost always wrong!
Illinois vs. Louisville
In terms of absolute excitement, I think this is the the premiere game of the weekend. Illinois survived a game they should have lost against Arizona, and Louisville hung in against a tough-as-nails West Virginia team who led by as many as 20 points in the first half, so neither one of these teams is going to play with fear or throw in the towel if they get down. Illinois is essentially the home team—St. Louis has as many Illini fans as Mizzou boosters—so they'll have somewhat of a crowd advantage, but don't underestimate Louisville's popularity, either. As a Conference-USA team, they play here every year. My gut instinct is to go with Louisville, but I think it'll be a close, fast, exciting game from buzzer to buzzer.
North Carolina vs. Michigan State
The Spartans have already knocked off two powerhouse teams in Duke and Kentucky, but I wonder if they will be able to match Carolina's physical inside game. Roy Williams has a lot of experience getting to the finals, but he's never been able to win one. Is this the year? It looks like it, and Carolina is the favorite to win it all, but Michigan State's gotten to this point by defying expectations and playing smart basketball. Again, it's just gut instinct, but I'm going with Izzo's boys to pull of the trifecta.
Projected Final
Louisville over Michigan State; just don't blame me if you wager cash and lose. Remember, when it comes to sports, we're all almost always wrong!
Friday, March 25, 2005
Why Illinois Won't Win
I truly enjoyed last night's game between Illinois and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. It was, for the most part, one of the fastest college games of recent memory, with both teams executing the fast break almost at will, with Illinois jamming the ball inside with intermittant threes from their outstanding guards, and UWM hitting lots of open threes.
But Illinois won't get past Arizona, who handled a rock-solid Oklahoma State team last night in the late game. I'd be saying the same thing about OSU if Stoudamire hadn't hit the buzzer-beater. Both of those teams just looked tougher and more confident at this point in the year than Illinois has.
If I'm wrong (and I usually am when it comes to sports, and so are you, and so are the "experts" who get paid for it--it's why sports are so much fun; their inherently democratic) then I'd wager a dollar or two that Louisville beats them in the Final Four in St. Louis. Rick Pitino's Cardinals look like the team to beat in the whole tourney right now. They handled a good (albeit overrated) Washington team last night and won going away. At this point, I think they could beat either North Carolina, Duke or Kentucky from the other side of the bracket.
In any case, the rest of the NCAA tourney promises some outstanding basketball, and right now, that's about all the sports world has to offer right now. Baseball's still a few weeks away, football's a whole season away, I don't care about the NBA, and hockey's just gone away for good. When T.S. Eliot wrote "April is the cruelest month," I think he was lamenting the lack of exciting sports news.
But Illinois won't get past Arizona, who handled a rock-solid Oklahoma State team last night in the late game. I'd be saying the same thing about OSU if Stoudamire hadn't hit the buzzer-beater. Both of those teams just looked tougher and more confident at this point in the year than Illinois has.
If I'm wrong (and I usually am when it comes to sports, and so are you, and so are the "experts" who get paid for it--it's why sports are so much fun; their inherently democratic) then I'd wager a dollar or two that Louisville beats them in the Final Four in St. Louis. Rick Pitino's Cardinals look like the team to beat in the whole tourney right now. They handled a good (albeit overrated) Washington team last night and won going away. At this point, I think they could beat either North Carolina, Duke or Kentucky from the other side of the bracket.
In any case, the rest of the NCAA tourney promises some outstanding basketball, and right now, that's about all the sports world has to offer right now. Baseball's still a few weeks away, football's a whole season away, I don't care about the NBA, and hockey's just gone away for good. When T.S. Eliot wrote "April is the cruelest month," I think he was lamenting the lack of exciting sports news.
Monday, March 21, 2005
Misery Loves Company
Hello again, sports fans. Sorry I was gone last week. I was in Minneapolis to accept a graphic design award through Wednesday, then spent the rest of the week trying to catch up from the trip. I did get time to enter five spectacularly pathetic losing NCAA tourney brackets on espn.com's fantasy challenge, proving once again that I can be just as wrong as the so-called experts who get paid to do what I do for free--express sports opinions.
I don't think there's anything more American that March Madness, because it expresses two of our culture's most prominent qualities. One is a myth, and the other is an unpleasant reality.
The myth is that Americans like the underdog. Oh, we do in sports, because it helps reinforce the myth that it works that way in real life. We love a "David and Goliath" story because we've been fed the Horatio Alger b.s. line all our lives, that America provides anyone with the opportunity to achieve and succeed. That's a nice bedtime story, but reality hardly ever fits that pattern. That's why we love to see it happen in sports. Whenever an unknown team rises up to beat a national powerhouse, most people who don't have some vested interest in one team or the other love to see the underdog upset the favorite (except for chronic gamblers, of course, but that's another story for another day).
This year's tournament has been exceptional for some stunning upsets. Two No. 2 seeds (UConn and Wake Forest) have been sent home, a stunning three No. 3 seeds (Kansas, Oklahoma, Gonzaga) are watching the rest of the tourney on TV, and two No. 4's (Syracuse and Boston College) are gone. Sure, my brackets are ruined, and so are yours, probably.
We love watching little schools like Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Vermont and Bucknell knock off the big boys because it reinforces the underdog myth that we almost never see outside the sports arena. Anyone taking on Microsoft? Rush Limbaugh going to jail anytime soon? How about Ken Lay? In real life, money talks, and the rich and powerful usually get a free pass while the regular guys get screwed. Don't believe me? Try scoring ten grand worth of Oxycontin on the street and see how long you stay out of jail for illegal drug possession. It helps if you're the official mouthpiece of the ruling party in the nation.
But the myth is necessary for the ruling class. Without the myth of the underdog, we would have to face the real economic realities of the nation: poverty, poor health care, atrocious public education, disparity in wealth and incomes, the list goes on. This myth is the reason why poor people keep re-electing rich men who vote for tax cuts for their rich friends at the expense of the poor who voted for them, and sports reinforces the myth. So be it.
The reality that March Madness reveals comes from a remarkable German word, "schadenfreude," which means "taking delight in another's misfortune." This is the real appeal of the tournament for me, especially since I'm an alum of the University of Missouri, a college synonymous with NCAA tournament futility (not to mention NIT failures, as well--we suck on so many levels!). I take unashamed glee at watching Kansas and Oklahoma collapse like a Democratic presidential campaign. I love watching the teams that East Coast wankers like Dick Vitale and Digger Phelps love--UConn, Syracuse, Wake Forest--lose to teams that hardly merit a line of agate type in the local sports page. Joy, joy, joy!
Of course, in the end, it will probably be a couple of No. 1 seeds facing off for the national championship, as it usually happens. In real life, not only does the underdog rarely win, he usually never even gets a chance to get into the game.
I don't think there's anything more American that March Madness, because it expresses two of our culture's most prominent qualities. One is a myth, and the other is an unpleasant reality.
The myth is that Americans like the underdog. Oh, we do in sports, because it helps reinforce the myth that it works that way in real life. We love a "David and Goliath" story because we've been fed the Horatio Alger b.s. line all our lives, that America provides anyone with the opportunity to achieve and succeed. That's a nice bedtime story, but reality hardly ever fits that pattern. That's why we love to see it happen in sports. Whenever an unknown team rises up to beat a national powerhouse, most people who don't have some vested interest in one team or the other love to see the underdog upset the favorite (except for chronic gamblers, of course, but that's another story for another day).
This year's tournament has been exceptional for some stunning upsets. Two No. 2 seeds (UConn and Wake Forest) have been sent home, a stunning three No. 3 seeds (Kansas, Oklahoma, Gonzaga) are watching the rest of the tourney on TV, and two No. 4's (Syracuse and Boston College) are gone. Sure, my brackets are ruined, and so are yours, probably.
We love watching little schools like Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Vermont and Bucknell knock off the big boys because it reinforces the underdog myth that we almost never see outside the sports arena. Anyone taking on Microsoft? Rush Limbaugh going to jail anytime soon? How about Ken Lay? In real life, money talks, and the rich and powerful usually get a free pass while the regular guys get screwed. Don't believe me? Try scoring ten grand worth of Oxycontin on the street and see how long you stay out of jail for illegal drug possession. It helps if you're the official mouthpiece of the ruling party in the nation.
But the myth is necessary for the ruling class. Without the myth of the underdog, we would have to face the real economic realities of the nation: poverty, poor health care, atrocious public education, disparity in wealth and incomes, the list goes on. This myth is the reason why poor people keep re-electing rich men who vote for tax cuts for their rich friends at the expense of the poor who voted for them, and sports reinforces the myth. So be it.
The reality that March Madness reveals comes from a remarkable German word, "schadenfreude," which means "taking delight in another's misfortune." This is the real appeal of the tournament for me, especially since I'm an alum of the University of Missouri, a college synonymous with NCAA tournament futility (not to mention NIT failures, as well--we suck on so many levels!). I take unashamed glee at watching Kansas and Oklahoma collapse like a Democratic presidential campaign. I love watching the teams that East Coast wankers like Dick Vitale and Digger Phelps love--UConn, Syracuse, Wake Forest--lose to teams that hardly merit a line of agate type in the local sports page. Joy, joy, joy!
Of course, in the end, it will probably be a couple of No. 1 seeds facing off for the national championship, as it usually happens. In real life, not only does the underdog rarely win, he usually never even gets a chance to get into the game.
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Some Free Advice for Reggie Fowler
Dear Reggie,
I am pleased to hear that you are planning to buy the Minnesota Vikings. As a long-time fan who has suffered through four excruciating Superbowl losses, the Les Steckel error--sorry, I mean era-- the horrible nightmare that was the 1998 NFC Championship (Denny, how could you tell Randall to take a knee with 30 seconds left?), I remain steadfast in the hope that someday before I die (and I'm pushing 40 soon, so get busy!) I will get to see the Purple hoist the Lombardi trophy toward the heavens.
It's just that there's a few things that you need to know before you get started. First, you're buying a team from a Texas used car salesman. This is a guy who makes Dick Cheney look honest and sincere. Red McCombs is the most craptaculous owner in the NFL. He makes Jerry Jones look patient and reasonable. He makes Bill Bidwell look marginally competant. He actually makes Vikings fans long for the good old days when Mike Lynn ran the team.
Now, this team you're buying may look like a good deal, but it's gonna need some serious work. Red's already stripped off the turbocharger unit, Randy Moss, for a few spare parts that may or may not work. Yeah, Randy dropped the gas mileage down quite a bit, and the car was noisy, but man, could that baby run when he was working at peak efficiency. I know it was prone to unexpected breakdowns, but what was once a monster muscle car is now just another roadster.
Also, your transmission is shot. You know, the head coach, the one who determines direction and power? He's gotta go. The guy has admitted to scalping Superbowl tickets, for pete's sake; something it appears many coaches do, but this is one more distraction you don't need. If Red won't replace it for you before you sign the papers, your first action as the new owner should be to pink slip Tice right out the door.
And while you're at it, send the rest of the inept coaching staff with you. The Vikings haven't had a decent defense--and not coincidentally, a decent defensive coordinator--since Tony Dungy left for Tampa Bay. Dungy would be the perfect guy to replace Tice, but I think he's gonna stick with that older Manning boy in Indy for a while, at least until Bob Irsay gets tired of losing in the playoffs every year to New England. But you won't have time to wait around. The entire coaching staff should follow Tice out the door. Let your new guy, whoever he his, bring in his own folks.
The good news is that the engine is sound. You've got Daunte Culpepper, a defensive end who happens to play quarterback, and a good stock of decent running backs. Even Mike Martz couldn't screw up this offense. Well, okay, of course Mike Martz could screw up this offense, but hey, the car has to be worth something, otherwise it's not a good buy for you.
Last thing: You'll want to build a new stadium. Everyone knows the Metrodome isn't up to snuff in terms of facility amenities or the revenue it generates. But here's the deal: forget public financing. Minnesota is one of the last bastions of true progressive politics, and they'll tell you to go jump in a cold winter lake before they spend tax money to make you richer when it can go toward more legitimate public needs. We liberals like using tax money to help the poor, not the rich, so deal with that fact from the beginning. Spend your own money; you'll be a hero in the state.
And here's the last part: make it an outdoor stadium. Yes, it's cold in the winter--it's freakin' Minnesota! Don't you think they all know it? They love the cold! They go fishing when it's 20 degrees below zero! The Vikings must reclaim their roots as winter warriors. Green Bay gets the credit, New England gets the glory, and they both play outdoors when it's cold and snowy. Reclaim the Vikings' true heritage. Your best move is to convert this stripped down sports car into a blizzard-busting SUV.
And hurry up, would you? The stupid Red Sox have already won a championship. Let's get one before those hideous Chicago Cubs fans break their losing streak.
Best wishes for your success,
The Sandman
I am pleased to hear that you are planning to buy the Minnesota Vikings. As a long-time fan who has suffered through four excruciating Superbowl losses, the Les Steckel error--sorry, I mean era-- the horrible nightmare that was the 1998 NFC Championship (Denny, how could you tell Randall to take a knee with 30 seconds left?), I remain steadfast in the hope that someday before I die (and I'm pushing 40 soon, so get busy!) I will get to see the Purple hoist the Lombardi trophy toward the heavens.
It's just that there's a few things that you need to know before you get started. First, you're buying a team from a Texas used car salesman. This is a guy who makes Dick Cheney look honest and sincere. Red McCombs is the most craptaculous owner in the NFL. He makes Jerry Jones look patient and reasonable. He makes Bill Bidwell look marginally competant. He actually makes Vikings fans long for the good old days when Mike Lynn ran the team.
Now, this team you're buying may look like a good deal, but it's gonna need some serious work. Red's already stripped off the turbocharger unit, Randy Moss, for a few spare parts that may or may not work. Yeah, Randy dropped the gas mileage down quite a bit, and the car was noisy, but man, could that baby run when he was working at peak efficiency. I know it was prone to unexpected breakdowns, but what was once a monster muscle car is now just another roadster.
Also, your transmission is shot. You know, the head coach, the one who determines direction and power? He's gotta go. The guy has admitted to scalping Superbowl tickets, for pete's sake; something it appears many coaches do, but this is one more distraction you don't need. If Red won't replace it for you before you sign the papers, your first action as the new owner should be to pink slip Tice right out the door.
And while you're at it, send the rest of the inept coaching staff with you. The Vikings haven't had a decent defense--and not coincidentally, a decent defensive coordinator--since Tony Dungy left for Tampa Bay. Dungy would be the perfect guy to replace Tice, but I think he's gonna stick with that older Manning boy in Indy for a while, at least until Bob Irsay gets tired of losing in the playoffs every year to New England. But you won't have time to wait around. The entire coaching staff should follow Tice out the door. Let your new guy, whoever he his, bring in his own folks.
The good news is that the engine is sound. You've got Daunte Culpepper, a defensive end who happens to play quarterback, and a good stock of decent running backs. Even Mike Martz couldn't screw up this offense. Well, okay, of course Mike Martz could screw up this offense, but hey, the car has to be worth something, otherwise it's not a good buy for you.
Last thing: You'll want to build a new stadium. Everyone knows the Metrodome isn't up to snuff in terms of facility amenities or the revenue it generates. But here's the deal: forget public financing. Minnesota is one of the last bastions of true progressive politics, and they'll tell you to go jump in a cold winter lake before they spend tax money to make you richer when it can go toward more legitimate public needs. We liberals like using tax money to help the poor, not the rich, so deal with that fact from the beginning. Spend your own money; you'll be a hero in the state.
And here's the last part: make it an outdoor stadium. Yes, it's cold in the winter--it's freakin' Minnesota! Don't you think they all know it? They love the cold! They go fishing when it's 20 degrees below zero! The Vikings must reclaim their roots as winter warriors. Green Bay gets the credit, New England gets the glory, and they both play outdoors when it's cold and snowy. Reclaim the Vikings' true heritage. Your best move is to convert this stripped down sports car into a blizzard-busting SUV.
And hurry up, would you? The stupid Red Sox have already won a championship. Let's get one before those hideous Chicago Cubs fans break their losing streak.
Best wishes for your success,
The Sandman
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Bad Decisions and Rampant Hypocrisy
The latest head-scratching news out of Jupiter (that's Florida, not the planet, although sometimes it's hard to tell) is that would-be Cardinals pitcher Nuke LaLoosh--sorry, that's Rick Ankiel--has finally given up on actually being a pitcher. He's gonna move to the outfield.
Well, it's about time, but two years two late.
Look, I'll go out on what I think is a short and stable limb and say that Rick's got a good chance of making the club as an outfielder. Larry Walker and Reggie Sanders have a combined age of what, about 87 years old, and our current backups are John Mabry and So (What?) Taguchi, so Ankiel as another option isn't as crazy as it might seem. He hit well as a DH in the minors, and setting himself free of pitching expectations that probably only Sandy Koufax could have lived up to might cause him to catch fire. So, as a Cardinals fan, I'm certainly hoping he'll succeed.
As you'll probably read and/or hear from a variety of sources over the next few days in response to this story, the Cardinals had another failed pitcher who moved to the outfield a few decades back, a guy named Stan Musial. I seem to remember reading something about him having an okay career, although certainly nothing to attract the attention of baseball experts such as Ken Burns or George Will.
Now, before your blood pressure gets too high, I'm not even close to comparing Ankiel with Musial, even in terms of potential. I'm just saying it's not an unprecedented idea. What bothers me is that LaRussa and Duncan didn't recognize the signs that Ankiel might not have the right stuff to pitch in time to unload him to Oakland instead of Dan Haren in the Mark Mulder trade. And who knows, maybe Walt Jocketty tried to trade Ankiel instead of Haren with no luck. I doubt we'll ever hear that. But I'd feel a lot better with Haren in the 5th starting slot instead of Ankiel maybe riding the pine as a reserve outfielder, pinch hitter/runner, or emergency extra-extra-extra inning pitcher.
Now, about the hypocrisy...I'll keep it short and simple: Having a congressional hearing about steroids in baseball without calling Barry Bonds to testify is like having a hearing about illegal bootlegging in prohibition-era Chicago without calling Al Capone to testify. Come to think of it, that would have happened; Capone would have had something on every member of that committee. So that leads us to the question: What does Barry have that makes him immune?
Well, it's about time, but two years two late.
Look, I'll go out on what I think is a short and stable limb and say that Rick's got a good chance of making the club as an outfielder. Larry Walker and Reggie Sanders have a combined age of what, about 87 years old, and our current backups are John Mabry and So (What?) Taguchi, so Ankiel as another option isn't as crazy as it might seem. He hit well as a DH in the minors, and setting himself free of pitching expectations that probably only Sandy Koufax could have lived up to might cause him to catch fire. So, as a Cardinals fan, I'm certainly hoping he'll succeed.
As you'll probably read and/or hear from a variety of sources over the next few days in response to this story, the Cardinals had another failed pitcher who moved to the outfield a few decades back, a guy named Stan Musial. I seem to remember reading something about him having an okay career, although certainly nothing to attract the attention of baseball experts such as Ken Burns or George Will.
Now, before your blood pressure gets too high, I'm not even close to comparing Ankiel with Musial, even in terms of potential. I'm just saying it's not an unprecedented idea. What bothers me is that LaRussa and Duncan didn't recognize the signs that Ankiel might not have the right stuff to pitch in time to unload him to Oakland instead of Dan Haren in the Mark Mulder trade. And who knows, maybe Walt Jocketty tried to trade Ankiel instead of Haren with no luck. I doubt we'll ever hear that. But I'd feel a lot better with Haren in the 5th starting slot instead of Ankiel maybe riding the pine as a reserve outfielder, pinch hitter/runner, or emergency extra-extra-extra inning pitcher.
Now, about the hypocrisy...I'll keep it short and simple: Having a congressional hearing about steroids in baseball without calling Barry Bonds to testify is like having a hearing about illegal bootlegging in prohibition-era Chicago without calling Al Capone to testify. Come to think of it, that would have happened; Capone would have had something on every member of that committee. So that leads us to the question: What does Barry have that makes him immune?
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Out of the Wilderness?
Most of us who lived in eastern Missouri in the 1970s and early 1980s who followed the St. Louis football Cardinals have strong, and sometimes highly ambiguous, feelings about the team, even though it's been more than 15 years since they moved to the Arizona desert. I have fond childhood memories of rooting for the Cardiac Cards of Hart, Metcalf, Wehrli, Gray, Dobler, Dierdorf, and Coryell with my father and grandfather.
I also remember the precise moment that I gave up for good on the Cardinals, three years before they ever left St. Louis. Oh, I bet you do, too, if you remember. 1984, last game of the season, Neil O'Donahue with a potential game-winning kick to beat the Giants [correction: it was, in fact, the Redskins they lost to that day; the loss put the Giants in playoffs, hence my mistake, and remember kids--alcohol kills brain cells!] and put the Gridbirds into the playoffs. Miss it, and we miss the playoffs.
Oh, of course. Wide of the uprights. No good. No playoffs. No hope. I had to give up on them. My first football love was the Minnesota Vikings, and I couldn't tolerate twin heartbreak every season. It was just too painful.
So they left, and we watched the fiasco that was NFL Expansion pass us by. By this time, I lived in St. Louis and worked downtown. I watched them build the dome stadium day by day, and I waited while it stood empty. Then came the Rams. As Chris Berman might say, the bumbling, stumbling Rams. How perfect for St. Louis--another inept, hopeless football team.
But then came 1999: Vermeil, Faulk and Kurt Warner. Who? An arena league QB? You know the rest of the story. Two MVP awards, one Superbowl win, one heartbreaking Superbowl loss, and a fall from grace as quick and as stunning as his rise to glory.
While I don't hate Marc Bulger (I never have), and can admit that he does have some skills at the position, he just doesn't have the same magic that Warner did. Now Warner's going to get the chance, it seems, to see if lightning can indeed strike twice. He'll probably be the starter this year for the Arizona Cardinals, whose head coach is Dennis Green, who used to coach the Vikings. Coincidence? I think not. It's more like a harmonic convergence for me.
My dad has never stopped rooting for the football Cardinals, even though to this day, just like 25 years ago, he gripes about how much they suck. But the Rams sucked, too, before Kurt Warner took over as their QB. Does Arizona have the right ingredients? Can they pull off another remarkable "worst to first" NFL success story. All of the so-called experts--and a half a century of utter futility by a franchise--loudly say "no."
But you know what? I believe that anything is possible. And as I watch the NFL draft next month, and training camps in July, pre-season games in August, and finally, the start of the season, I'll be doing something I haven't done in more than 20 years: rooting for the football Cardinals, led by my favorite quarterback since Fran Tarkenton still had hair.
I also remember the precise moment that I gave up for good on the Cardinals, three years before they ever left St. Louis. Oh, I bet you do, too, if you remember. 1984, last game of the season, Neil O'Donahue with a potential game-winning kick to beat the Giants [correction: it was, in fact, the Redskins they lost to that day; the loss put the Giants in playoffs, hence my mistake, and remember kids--alcohol kills brain cells!] and put the Gridbirds into the playoffs. Miss it, and we miss the playoffs.
Oh, of course. Wide of the uprights. No good. No playoffs. No hope. I had to give up on them. My first football love was the Minnesota Vikings, and I couldn't tolerate twin heartbreak every season. It was just too painful.
So they left, and we watched the fiasco that was NFL Expansion pass us by. By this time, I lived in St. Louis and worked downtown. I watched them build the dome stadium day by day, and I waited while it stood empty. Then came the Rams. As Chris Berman might say, the bumbling, stumbling Rams. How perfect for St. Louis--another inept, hopeless football team.
But then came 1999: Vermeil, Faulk and Kurt Warner. Who? An arena league QB? You know the rest of the story. Two MVP awards, one Superbowl win, one heartbreaking Superbowl loss, and a fall from grace as quick and as stunning as his rise to glory.
While I don't hate Marc Bulger (I never have), and can admit that he does have some skills at the position, he just doesn't have the same magic that Warner did. Now Warner's going to get the chance, it seems, to see if lightning can indeed strike twice. He'll probably be the starter this year for the Arizona Cardinals, whose head coach is Dennis Green, who used to coach the Vikings. Coincidence? I think not. It's more like a harmonic convergence for me.
My dad has never stopped rooting for the football Cardinals, even though to this day, just like 25 years ago, he gripes about how much they suck. But the Rams sucked, too, before Kurt Warner took over as their QB. Does Arizona have the right ingredients? Can they pull off another remarkable "worst to first" NFL success story. All of the so-called experts--and a half a century of utter futility by a franchise--loudly say "no."
But you know what? I believe that anything is possible. And as I watch the NFL draft next month, and training camps in July, pre-season games in August, and finally, the start of the season, I'll be doing something I haven't done in more than 20 years: rooting for the football Cardinals, led by my favorite quarterback since Fran Tarkenton still had hair.
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