Missouri Sports on MO.com

What has been the biggest disappointment of an otherwise surprising and enjoyable first half of the season for the St. Louis Cardinals?

That is easy, I have started and stopped fifteen columns designed to rip the Cardinals bullpen. But this seemed like a boring topic to discuss in light of the fact that everyone seems to realize that this is an issue. Rick Hummel from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch pointed out that last year’s bullpen suffered 11 blown saves and 12 losses ALL SEASON. This year’s pen has 20 blown saves and 18 losses and it is not even the All-Star break yet. Of course last season’s bullpen was exceptional but with the increased production from 2008’s starting pitchers you would think the relievers would be more than equipped to hold the fort this year and they have just not been good enough. Blogging on STLtoday.com, Bernie Miklasz made a number of observations last week: the ineffectiveness of Randy Flores (more on that later), the misuse of Ron Villone (ditto) and the point that the bullpen struggles began when Jason Isringhausen lost it two months ago. And why is that? There was certainly a shuffling of roles which requires an adjustment but Ryan Franklin was quickly established as the closer and really has been fine (11 saves and 2 wins vs. 4 blown saves and a loss). Chris Perez has been called up and filled in nicely (a win and 3 holds vs. one blown save) assuming part of Franklin’s old role. And Izzy has been extremely sharp since his return from “the disabled list”. So are the remaining relievers uncomfortable with their “new” roles are unsure what they are? I usually give mananger Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan a lot of respect for their handling of the ‘pen but their usage this past month has been anything but a work of art. Mike Parisi was thrown out there for two disastrous extra inning appearances (back to back walk-off losses) after getting blown up in two spot starts. Lefty Ron Villone has allowed left handed batters to only hit .184 against him yet he has faced far more right handers, who have tagged him for a .311 average and reached base 43% of the time against him? Rookie right hander Kyle McClellan often gets pulled when facing left handed batters but the numbers say he’s more effective against them (.192 average) then he is against right handed batters (.302 average). And do not get me started on the continued insistence to make something out of Mark Mulder’s hefty salary. Several relievers have been incredibly disappointing this season, but many times the coaches have not put them in the best positions to succeed.

So like I said, why bother piling on the bullpen when they are down and when seemingly everyone already realizes it? Well because I read that La Russa said that the bullpen numbers are “misleading” and the focus on the bullpen is “inaccurate” while “the offense was a bigger culprit than the bullpen in a lot” of recent close losses. Wait, the relief corps is not expected to finish out close games? Sure La Russa pointed out the series vs. the Kansas City Royals at Busch (a sweep in which the Cards were outscored 9-4) and I do not believe any one was tagging the bullpen for that series loss. I am not sure what is inaccurate or misleading about 20 blown saves and 18 losses. Plus it seems silly to defend the relievers while blaming an offense that is second in the National League in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) and the toughest team in the league to strike out. Look, I kind of agree that the offense could do more - with those high batting numbers you would think the team would be higher than sixth in the league in runs, the offense has grounded into the third most double plays in the NL, and the team is only 9th in extra base hits. But the offense and starting pitching have done their share for three months, the bullpen has not and La Russa should not pretend it is any other way.

OK, so what is the biggest negative about the Cardinal season that people are not talking about?

The effectiveness of the pitchers with the bases loaded. Sure, that is never a good situation to be in but it seems in the past few weeks the Redbird staff has REALLY struggled in bases loaded situations, including some memorable inexcusable WALKS. Well I decided to look it up and amazingly the Cardinals are dead last in the major leagues in earned run average with the bases loaded with an ERA of 17.73!!! Opponents bat .354 when the sacks are jammed with an OPS over 1.000 and an NL leading 14 free runs (12 walks and 2 batters hit by pitch). This is a trend that can not continue; Cardinals pitchers need to buckle down when their backs are against the wall.

Has Tony La Russa been hanging out with Bob Knight too much?

It would seem so; TLR was never cuddly but he is becoming even more of a curmudgeon before our eyes. The bullpen rant, last year’s silly tiff with the Post-Dispatch about a tongue-in-cheek Cubs story and now the Jim Edmonds stuff is ridiculous. La Russa is “upset” at comments that Edmonds made to the Chicago media saying his Cardinal days are behind him and he is a Cub now. Um, what is he supposed to do - say “I’m really a Cardinal at heart”? It’s ridiculous and a non-story but “way to go” TLR for making a Cub the bigger man in a silly feud. Oh, and huge props to Cardinal fans for not taking La Russa’s bait and giving Edmonds a huge well-deserved ovation before his first at bat Friday night (followed by almost equally-as-big cheers when he struck out four pitches later).

Boy have the Cardinals been unlucky when it comes to stars getting injured lately?!?

Losing Adam Wainright and Albert Pujols was painful. But as my very controversial pastor who I refuse to disassociate myself with has preached: “The Cardinals’ chickens have come home to roost!” I am not saying that the Cards have been using the disabled list more for poor performance than injuries, but after a recent string of bad columns that I have written, the Cardinal doctors diagnosed me with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and put me on the 15-day DL. When Jason Isringhausen’s ERA started sky rocketing, he was sent to the DL (I’ve always wondered if he was REALLY hurt in 2006….). When the team needed to activate Brendan Ryan, Brad Thompson is conveniently injured all of a sudden and put on the DL. Mark Mulder’s really been “hurt” for two years? Please. Randy Flores has a stretch where 10 of 14 batters faced reach base, to the DL with him! The Redbirds brass have been using the disabled list as extra spots on the roster for such a long time that I forgot what the DL was really supposed to be used for until the recent wave of injuries - injured players! The prophet Earl Hickey taught me a thing or three about karma, and the Cards paid the price with Pujols and Wainright (and it could have been worse for Yadier Molina and Todd Wellemeyer). I would be curious if other teams use the disabled list as if they were that one guy in your fantasy league that you have got to keep your eyes on at all times.

Hey, didn’t there used to be a guy named the Phantom who used to write for MO.com?

Yes, I believe he is in contract renegotiations at this point. The Phantom is demanding a raise and MO.com is demanding he learn how to properly use punctuation. I will fill you in on more details as I get them. I CAN confirm that he is alive and well as we suffered through the Cardinals’ 11-1 disaster against the Mets last Thursday night together. I had to quickly run home afterwards and light my “Mitchell Boggs should start every fifth day” column on fire.

What are your thoughts about the National League All-Star team?

Everyone LOOOOOOVES doing the whole “this player got snubbed” thing. So I will, too! An ESPN.com writer wrote that Ryan Ludwick should not have made the team, which immediately made me mad until….I ended up agreeing with him. It all stems from the fan vote, where undeserving all-stars Kosuke Fukudome (whose name I am afraid to try and pronounce in front of my mother) and Alfonso Soriano were voted in along with Ryan Braun, who might not have made my list but is having an outstanding year. That left three outfielders: the deserving Matt Holliday from Colorado, a necessary Pittsburgh Pirate representative in Nate McLouth due to the increasingly stupid “every team gets a player” rule (though they picked the wrong one! A month ago McLouth was the pick but he hit .214 in June with two home runs. Xavier Nady should have been the pick) and the Cards’ Ryan Ludwick. What, no Pat Burrell? Hopefully the fan vote for the final player or Soriano’s injury puts Pat the Bat on the team, but no way Ludwick and his .228 average in June should have made the team over Burrell and his 21 HRs and NL outfielder-best OPS of .994. The only other mistake among position players that I saw was Miguel Tejada and his .324 on base percentage (66th in the NL) making the team. If they needed a third shortstop behind deserving starter Hanley Ramirez and the lone Washington Nationals rep Christian Guzman, it should have been J.J. Hardy of the Brewers (12 HRs, 38 RBIs, .857 OPS). But really David Wright of the Mets should have been the pick as an extra third baseman (16 HRs, 66 RBIs, .885 OPS).

As for the starting pitchers, how in the world did Colorado’s Aaron Cook make the team? The Rockies already have a rep in Matt Holliday. Cook’s 11 wins are nice but wins can be a deceiving stat for pitchers. His 3.66 ERA is 15th in the NL among starters with 100 innings pitched, his 1.29 WHIP is 14th, and his OPS allowed is 24th. Carlos Zambrano has a sub 3.00 ERA and 9 wins, but only the 19th best WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) and 12th best OPS allowed. Atlanta’s Tim Hudson was a tough omission but I would have given the nods to the Mets’ Johan Santana, who is 7-7 but has better numbers across the board then Zambrano or Cook, and the Phillies’ Cole Hamels, who has 9 wins with a top 10 ERA and the #2 WHIP and #5 OPS allowed. I can only assume that ex-Cardinal Danny Haren will be starting for the NL. He’s fourth in ERA, second in quality start percentage, first in WHIP and OPS allowed. So glad we got Mark Mulder for him. Now excuse me while I ram my head through my monitor.

And finally relievers: Giants reliever Brian Wilson has a league leading 24 saves but a 4.37 ERA! San Francisco already has a worthy representative in starter Tim Lincecum. Wilson’s already got a Barenaked Ladies song written about him, he does not need an All-Star bid, too. A better candidate would have been either Francisco Cordero of the Reds or even Washington’s Jon Rauch so Christian Guzman would not have been forced onto the team at shortstop and another deserving position player (Hardy or Wright) would have made it. Really after the big three of Brad Lidge, Billy Wagner and Kerry Wood there is a huge drop off at closer this year anyway so maybe another starting pitcher or position player could have made the squad. And when is the last time the NL needed a closer in the All-Star game anyway?

Do you have any final thoughts on the All-Star voting?

Yes. Maybe I am just a bitter Cardinal homer, but since when does a superstar in his prime NOT get elected to start the All-Star game? Did you know that Albert Pujols has been voted to start only three times (he started a fourth time as the DH) in his career? Now do not get me wrong, Lance Berkman is having a fantastic season and is a worthy starter but this is not a one-year observation and I am trying to understand the people who are voting. Do the fans not know that Pujols is the best player in baseball? Is Albert just not very well liked by the average Joe? Does St. Louis’ “mid market” status hurt Pujols’ visibility? I truly do not understand….hell, until a late run Ken Griffey Jr. was almost one of the NL’s starting outfielders this year. Ken Griffey Jr.! And I am not sure how the reserves are selected (some by the players, some by the manager) but the insinuation in this mlb.com article is that the players pick first and they selected San Diego first baseman Adrian Gonzalez over Pujols. What the hell? I guess kudos is in order to NL manager Clint Hurdle for finding the diamond in the rough that we’ve been hiding here in St. Louis this decade.

MY PITCH: Central grad taking hits for love of game

Becker getting kicks playing pro football

By Mike Elder
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 11:25 AM CDT

Michelle Becker, a 1994 Hazelwood Central graduate, is tough.

How tough?

Well, I got an idea how rugged the 32-year-old is when she threatened
your roving reporter here with bodily harm while I interviewed the
member of the St. Louis SLAM full contact professional football team
recently.”You better not misquote me or I’m going to get you,” she said.

Becker, of course, was joking — I hope — but that still doesn’t take
away from the fact that she’s as tough as a shoe leather sandwich.
Consider that she is already the starting guard for the SLAM despite the
fact that this is her first season of playing the sport.

Yeah, she had played flag football before, but it compares to full
contact football like playing putt putt golf would prepare one for
Pebble Beach. The one thing that did help Becker, a former star softball
player at Central, for the hitting in the National Women’s Football
Association was the time she spent playing rugby.

“As far as taking hits and stuff it’s very similar to rugby,” Becker
said. “I would take hits in rugby where I would get the wind knocked out
of me.”

While playing for the SLAM, however, her teeth sometimes rattle around
in her mouth when she has to block one of the bigger defensive linemen.

Of course, one has to wonder why, exactly, she does it. After all, not
only is there no multi-million dollar contract in her back pocket, there
is no contract at all. Becker, you see, plays for zip, nada, nothing.

Can you imagine the look on Terrell Owens’ face if the Dallas Cowboys
asked him to do the same? Love to be a fly on that wall during those
discussions.

But Becker, like all of her teammates, is one of those rare breeds out
there who plays for the love of the game.

“It’s been for the challenge of learning something challenging and new,”
said Becker. “That’s what I love about it - learning something new.”

And, not only do Becker and company not get paid, they actually have a
lot of out-of-pocket expenses. The team played out of town games in
Chattanooga, Memphis and Columbus this year and the team couldn’t pay
for everything.

The high level of success the team is enjoying this year has taken the
sting out of having to pay to play, though. The SLAM players, who help
finance the team with fund raisers, finished the regular season with an
8-0 mark after topping Columbus 48-23 Saturday at CBC High School.

“I’m having a blast,” said Becker. “It’s a good group of people. The
coaches are great, the girls are great. We have a lot of fun on our
trips away from here.”

The SLAM currently is the No. 2 seeded team heading into the NWFA
playoffs. If that holds after next weekend’s final regular season games
it will host a first round playoff game July 5th at CBC.

“I’m sure hoping,” said Becker when asked if the local team is going to
win the league title. “There’s not one girl on the team who does not
want to win it all. We’ve put in the hard work and time. We’re going for
it.”

Two other SLAM players with North County ties include Tiara Pettis, a
linebacker who also teaches at Hazelwood Central, and Turtle Brown, a
Pattonville High grad.

“Turtle is all over the place,” said Becker of Brown. “That girl is an
animal. She plays offense, defense…you name it. She’s phenomenal.”

And perhaps just as tough as Becker.

So its my first chance to see the Boston Celtics clinch a title in Boston in 22 years; Ok, it’s my first chance to see The Celtics clinch a title in Boston, in HD; Ok, first chance to see them clinch in Boston, in The Tattoo Era of sports (life?).  In other words, I’m thrilled to death to not have to see David Beckham in the crowd tonight!  So to commemorate this event, I’m attempting a poor man’s, “Sports Guy”-inspired diary for Game 6, pre-game to post.  At some point, regrettably, I’m sure it will become evident that I’m a Celtic fan. 

The thought of a game 7, with the Celtics already having set a record for playoff games played is disconcerting. There.  Done.  On to the pre-game!

7:25 pm (central)  I’m 5 minutes early so am watching Jimmy Kimmel’s pre-game/pre-game live show.  Jimmy right now is cutting down the net after beating a bunch of kids in a pre-arranged pick-up game, for all the marbles.  He’s wearing a green tank.  A good omen, despite the fact that he’s clearly goin’ for the reverse jinx.  He’s Laker bandwagon if there ever was one.  Die Kimmel, Die! 

7:30  I’m giddy wondering/guessing who the pre-game basketball legend will be tonight.  For games 3-5, LA rolled out West, Worthy and Bill Walton.  (A father’s day homage with Laker Luke).  Bill is unquestionably, simultaneously the creepiest, and coolest father on the planet - bar none.  He loves his son, and states as much in typical, Walton-esque, hippie terms, telling him “with you every day is father’s day!”  Then he shows Luke a photo of himself in Celtic green celebrating a championship - while Luke confirms Bill’s picked the Celts to beat his Lakers.  Thanks Dad.  Some hippie you are. 

7:31  Dwyane Wade!!  Are you kidding me?  What, Chauncey Billups said no?  NO Celtic legend?  Cousy (easily the best color analyst in Celtic, no NBA history) was the perfect choice.  Russell, Havlicek all in the building, and would have sufficed.  Inexcusable.  Note to self:  never, ever get T-Mobile.

7:37  Ray Allen is said to be sleep deprived with the undisclosed medical situation involving his son.  Guess Ray will have to shoot threes in his sleep, which I assumed he did anyway.  He’s resurrected himself with a veangance from his early playoff slump.  And it was a bad slump.  He really is Jesus Shuttlesworth, isn’t he. 

7:40  We’re told Paul Pierce is going for his third 35-point game in a playoff clincher!  Stuart Scott wantes to know who’s more like Mike now.  Not surprisingly, Jordan is the only other to do this.

7:44  D-Wade says the pressure’s on the Celtics.  Win one, and you’re an expert apparently.

7:49  We’re also told The Lakers are 8-0 when Gasol gets 5 assists.  I say he needs more like 25/10 to even make this a game.  And what are the chances of that I wonder?  Have you ever just smiled, without pre-meditation? 

7:50  ABC’s Michael Wilbon predicts overtime! If that happens, Ray Allen won’t be the only one sleep-deprived. 

7:52  Out on a limb I predict a winner, in regulation.

7:56   Of LA’s starting five two are European, and one never went to college.  I wish they did Wunderlich tests in the NBA, don’t you?

7:58  Kendrick Perkins is in the starting lineup, despite the shoulder injury that kept him out of game 5.  The Lakers had their best inside game in his absence.  I wonder if Phil Jackson would ever order the shoulder swept?  I trust him less with each game.  He’s gone from Dalai Lama like, to Maharishi-esque in the span of five games in my book!

8:00  The Legend Montage they’ve been running each game just before tip-off serves mostly to put the immature nature of the modern NBA into perspective.  The words “most historic rivalry” are muttered again by play-by-play guy Mike Breen.  At some point in this league, substance gave way to hype.  I blame Michael Jordan.  Interpret that however you like. 

8:04  Despite the odds, Doc again outdoes Zen Master Phil on the pregame “wired” speech! Rivers: “Our strength is in our numbers (nail on the head) - breathe, and embrace the moment!”.  Jackson, in uninspired fashion, “Play the game”.  There were some words about doing this despite the fans, referees, et al.  Phil has sounded less than interested ever since he saw what a overrated team he has.  What, no Mike?

8:07  Finally, the ball is tipped!  Kobe hits the first shot, then Derek Fisher draws a block on Pierce.  A Derek Fisher sighting!  A guy who I thought might be the stabilizing force for LA has been bumped for Jordan Farmar.  An under-reported development in the series for sure.  

8:11  Ray Allen is aggressive early.  He must be cranky.  Could he smell an mvp?

8:12  Kobe is the mvp, as the LA crowd will tell you.  So will he, apparently.  “Not tonight” he is seen mouthing toward the Celtic bench.  He now has 8 pts; not quite 4 minutes in.  Where is his black hat anyway?

8:15  Gasol’s first flop of the night!  This new rule for next year might be specifically designed with him in mind.  It also gives KG his first points of the night.  More importantly, they were in the paint.  He’ll need more of those if the Celtics are to finish this.  I hold out hope.  His legacy is at stake.  A big game might quiet some detractors.  So would hiring Hakeem Olajuwon in the offseason to show him that post play can be learned, no matter your inclination.  Hakeem was a soccer player turned post sensation.  KG could become a small forward turned post sensation, right?

8:19  Kobe has 11 points at the first tv-timeout,  LA has 13.  This can’t keep up.  “He’s not like Mike” I just muttered. 

8:23  The Celtics are 4-16 from the floor, and lead by one!  Home, sweet home.  Yes, they just showed Steven Tyler in the front row.  I wait with baited breathe for a Guitar Hero IV commercial.

8:24  KG gets his second FG in the paint!  He’s teasing me, it’s clear now.

8:25  KG hits a jumper from the wing.  Then another!  Stop it you big, beautiful power(less) forward!!

8:31  Lakers turn it over, again.  KG slams in an alley-oop off a perfect backscreen by Pierce!  The Lakers have complained about moving screens throughout the series.  Pierce could have been bronzed he was so still.  Game’s not a half-hour old and #17 feels very possible right about now!

8:33  The announcing team rips the Laker defense, for the 17th time.  Oh, the pride of LA!

8:34  Pierce hits a J from the elbow with no one near him - Kobe finally misses a three.  The law of averages is in the house.  End of the first quarter.  Celtics, 24-20. 

8:42  “Big Baby” Davis sighting for the first time in The Finals!  If LA can’t handle other wide bodies what could he do?  Maybe introduce himself to Lamar Odom? 

8:45  Joe (Joey) Crawford (note to self: never call an adult male name Joe Joey) tees up Doc for missing a Kobe shiver to get through a Pierce screen.  Pierce answers with a three!  Ok, it counts as a two since they hit the technical free-throw.  But no one can deny that everything Doc does in this series just works!  What were the odds of this happening prior to game one?  Think asteroid/Earth collision odds, and you’re in the ballpark.  Ubuntu Phil!

8:47  Lamar Odom winks, a lot.  Then turns it over!  How could anyone root for this team?  8:23 left in the first half, Celtics by 5.  Ray Allen’s now out with an injured eye by the way, courtesy of Odom.  What I’ve learned here is that when you poke eyes, you naturally wink as a defense.  Now that would have been a Zen-like speech for Phil; “A wise man once told me..”

8:56  The now legendary Celtic defense is beginning to assert itself - and low and behold, House and Posey hit back-to-back threes! Defense feeds the offense again.  Stop me if you’ve heard this before. 

9:01  Ray Allen returns mid-2nd quarter to applause.  Conspiracies abound. 

9:02  House hits a free throw as The Celtics open up their first double-digit lead.  I pause and wonder if I would I take Posey over Kobe?  Hmmm.  (As Posey heads to free-agency, this is a serious question.  His stock has to have risen like the Mississippi). I swear The Lakers are playing like it’s pre-season.  Odom’s strongest move of the game happens after the whistle!  Who roots for this team!

9:05  Allen checks back in for Posey; The Celtics didn’t miss a beat. 

9:07  Radmanovich shoots an absolute brick from three, then fouls Pierce.  Maybe it’s not all Phil and Kobe’s fault.  How do you win with a guy like this?  The Spurs & Jazz have to be scratching their heads a lot lately.  And I now wish I’d taken the Celtics, and given the 3 1/2 points.

9:08  After scoring 11 of his team’s first 13, Kobe goes 13-plus minutes without a field goal.  The mvp has gone AWOL!  I’d like to hear D-Wade explain at halftime why the Lakers are playing like the team with the pressure on ‘em, while the Celtics are loose as could be.  Could it be because LA faces elimination? Just a guess.  Of course I’ve never won an NBA title.  Was D-Wade ready for this?  He is a cool guy and amazing player.  And he did go to Marquette, as did Doc we’re just told by Dywane.   Still, not the right choice.  I’m disappointed.  I needed ML Carr, minimum. 

9:15  Celtics by 15.  Rajon Rondo is having a heck of a half, and looks like he’s trying to set a Finals record for steals in a game!  KG just hit another, IN THE PAINT.  Celtics by 18, and they just stole the ball for the 9th time of the half!

9:18  KG throws one in off the glass, while falling down and getting fouled, IN THE PAINT!! Celtics by 21!

9:19  58-35 Celtics - Kobe jacks another three.  Not-a-chance!

9:20  Halftime arrives, mercifully for LA.  Celtics end it on a 26-6 run!  Paul Pierce says all the right things again.  “We’re coming out harder in the 2nd half!”  All of Los Angeles just headed to dinner.  All of Boston just headed downtown, or to a bar.

9:42  I miss the half-time in favor of slamming two Bud-Selects.  Second half opens with a Rondo, wide open, pressure-free jumpshot.  He can make those, usually.  When his jumpers mattered seems like another series ago!  The Celtics go up by 25 points as the camera goes to Phil, who’s look I’d liken to that of a guy who just got a whiff of some passed gas.  I’m enjoying this, probably a little too much.  The second half has hardly begun, and this thing appears to be o-v-e-r.

9:44  As Ray Allen puts the Celts up by 27, I’m having visions of Game 6, 1986 when they routed Houston, with Bird dagger threes just like that one!  And with that I have to believe a good portion of the country either changed the channel, or went to bed.  The Lakers are not good TV.  The ratings no question will be reported as sky high, but there’s not much to see here unless you’re in the greater Boston area, or Celtic diaspora.  Greetings Dublin! 

9:45  The Lakers pick up full-court!  Uh, gotta get that press down for next year? 

9:48  Rondo’s breaks it, and his ankle looks better because he’s running circles around the Lakers. And has five frickin’ steals! 

9:57  Celtics by, um, 31. This is more lopsided than I’d imagined, in my wildest imaginings.  The Lakers have fallen apart and prey to a Celtic barrage of “we want this waay more than you do” single-mindedness that has pretty much carried them to this point.  Now, they’re at the pinnacle.  Quite the well constructed team if I do say so myself.  Despite the early bumps in the playoff road, is there any question that this is the NBA’s best team?  The scoreboard leaves little doubt indeed.

10:02  As the corronation continues, Pau Gasol grabs a rebound with some authority.  It jolted me off my seat.  I guess he just Jim Riced it - playing his best when very little is on the line.

10:04  As the 4th quarter approaches we see Bill Belichick in the seats and I can’t help wonder if he is able to enjoy any of this.  It’s still only 4 months since the SB loss, and Bill still looks hungover to me.  

10:07  The crowd, minus Belichick is beginning to simmer with every Rondo steal!  He just picked MJ….I mean Kobe for his 6th!

10:10  We’re just told the Celtics clinching win in 1965 - over the Lakers no less - was by a record 33 points.  The Celtics now lead by 27 late in the 3rd quarter.  The record is within reach!

10:13  As Gasol continues to look like a legit post-player in garbage time, The 3rd quarter comes to a close with The Celts up 89-60.  12 minutes to the title! 

10:19  KG has the look of a man who could go completely nutty as this thing comes to a head!

10:23  As the announcers still have a job to do, Van Gundy wants to know exactly what Sasha Vujacic is doing so far off Allen, as Ray hits another three. Why bother, Jeff.  Ever ask a child why he just did what he did and get the palms up, arms outstretched, eyebrows raised lips curled response?  Celts by 31 and just scored their 101st point, with 8:47 to play. 

10:27  Van Gundy is now tired of watching The Laker defense, and tells us in no uncertain terms.  Ok if I disagree, Coach?  Celts by 34, 7:10 to go!

10:31  Rondo just came out, but not because he was being left alone and becoming a liability.  He finished with 21 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 6 steals (each more riveting than the last) and 1 turnover. Celts by 35! I imagine Rondo in 3-5 yrs with championship experience under his belt.  Props to Danny Ainge for not including him in the Garnett trade, despite McHale’s insistence.  Must have been a grueling negotiation. (wink)

10:37  Doc’s first big smile comes with 5:07 left. Pierce then hits an exclamation three in response to “Hail to the Chief” from the crowd! Man are those two in sync.   And speaking of “The Chief”, he would have been a fine choice for pre-game Celtic legend analyst.

I will now move to Eastern Standard Time in an attempt to both show how late it’s getting in Boston, and to protest the absurd 9pm start time to all Finals games, and it’s lack of appreciation of fan’s having to lose unnecessary sleep.

11:40 Eastern  “The Big Three” come out of the game with 4:01 left! None are in foul trouble.  Stunning, really.  Garnett’s line, in the game he really had to come up big in:  35 mins, 10-18 from the field, 26 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals. He may not be Jerry West clutch, but he isn’t Arod either.  What a performance from a guy who put the emotional state of a championship team squarely on his shoulders!

11:42 Eastern  Leon Pow! (ode to Phil) dunks, Celtics by 35!  Bye-Bye 1966 clinching margin record! Posey for 3, Celts by 38! (re-sign him, tonight please) 2:21 left.  I’m putting the laptop aside to watch now.  And for those who think Boston is spoiled of late - you’re absolutely, 100% correct. 

11:52 Eastern  IT’S ALL OVER!  Doc just got the Gatorade Shower from who else - Pierce.  Red juice all over Doc, and the wooden floor!  Everyone with real wood and not laminate in their home everywhere just cringed.  When else would this be tolerable indoors?  Is this a first?  NBA action, it’s Fan-tastic.

11:55 Eastern  KG just kissed center court, then blacked out! 

11:56 Eastern  He’s now totally outside his body - and speaking in tongues.  This is what KG must be like when hammered!

11:58 Eastern  Michelle Tafoya finally gets a hold of him; the word “tradition” just escaped KG’s lips.  He’s now a true Celtic, and he knows it.  Bill Russell is right behind him to confirm this.  Quite a moment.  That Russell offered to provide KG one of his rings had they come up short makes the moment even more poignant, if that’s possible. 

11:59 Eastern  131-92 is the final! 131 points!!  Wow is that an old school, western-conference type number. The Celtics played “Laker Ball” and still annihilated them.  That’s how dominant a performance this was.

12:05 am Eastern  Pierce gets his mvp trophy, and long-awaited moment. From last in the Eastern Conference a year ago, and 10 seasons of Celtic mediocrity to the rafters of a building that hadn’t seen it’s own championship, until now.  I now christen thee “The House That Paul Built”!  He finished the night with 10 assists, to go along with a defensive effort on Kobe Bryant that transformed Pierce from an all-star to a champion.  As Doc told us, money can buy ‘em pretty much everything except that ring.  That would take an all out focus on the dirty work of defense.  Who knew Pierce had this in him?  Speak up now please.  I know I was unsure. 

12:14 am Eastern  Van Gundy says, in closing, that the Lakers need a small forward for next year…..and a heart transplant.  (yes, I added that).   On the flip side, the debate over whether this is one of the great Celtic championship teams will begin.  With tonight’s performance fresh in everyone’s mind, combined with 66 regular season wins the temptation to call this team a great team is palpable.  But, with 10 playoff losses I’ll probably need to see more.  This is The Boston Celtics after all - greatness is typically measured not in “how good”, but “how many”.  See me next year at this time for a more thorough answer to that question.

12:20 am Eastern  Two things to add to help illuminate the focus Doc Rivers and, posthumously, Red Auerbach injected into this group of championship starved, all-star players:  One is the practice facility where all previous championship banners were put on display above the court, with one spot left open.  But the open spot wasn’t enough for Doc, so he ordered a spotlight from somewhere in the gym to be permanently shined upon the open spot above the court.  Imagine the players coming into practice and anytime they needed reminding of the goal, they could spot the light up above, and it would all become quite clear.

The other is Paul Pierce’s gratification delayed.  He is said to possess a cigar, given to him by Auerbach shortly before his passing.  The word is there was an agreement that it was to be lit only after tonight took place.  I can’t imagine a better motivator; when he had to lineup against Lebron James and Kobe Bryant, and gut out 26 total playoff games, while this team found itself on the fly with no previous, collective playoff experience.  Well, that time has finally come - light up Paul, and blow the smoke high enough so that Red might sniff the aroma of a title, one more time. 

¼/p>

The St. Louis SLAM took the field Saturday night with one goal in mind, a victory that would give the team its first undefeated season in its history.  NWFA North Conference powerhouse the Columbus Comets took the field to avenge its only loss of the season at the hands of the SLAM.  When the dust settled, the SLAM achieved its goal and a third straight playoff birth by pounding the Comets 48-23.

A determined Comets team won the opening toss and scored on the opening drive of the game.  SLAM defensive back Laure “Frenchy” Gelis-Diaz intercepted a pass to set the SLAM’s first touchdown of the night.  Caroline Ogunware scored on a 7 yard run and Frenchy knotted the score at 7 with the extra point.  The first quarter ended in a 7-7 tie.

The SLAM exploded in the second quarter scoring 21 unanswered points. Wide receiver Gail Graff started the scoring barrage hauling in a 15 yard pass from quarterback Liz Lacy.  Running back Pat Riggins broke tackles and spun away from defenders for a spectacular 30 yard run, and Toya “Turtle” Brown ran around the right end for the 2-point conversion to put the SLAM up 21-7.

With less than a minute left in the first half the Comets went for a first down conversion on fourth and one.  SLAM nose guard Myrt Davis forced a fumble on the quarterback sneak.  Defensive end Elizabeth Williams came out of the pack with the football and rambled 69 yards for a defensive touchdown.  Frenchy kicked the extra point to put the SLAM up 28-7 at the half.

The Comets closed the scoring gap in the 3^rd quarter with a field goal.  On the kickoff, Graff returned the just past mid field.  On the first play from scrimmage Riggins took the hand off and exploded up the middle into and beyond the Comet secondary for a 49 yard touchdown run to push the SLAM lead to 35-10.

In the 4^th quarter Chris Hampton scored by powering over the right side of the line on fourth and goal from the 2 yard line. Rookie Danielle Cullen topped off the SLAM scoring with a 10 yard run.  Behind an aggressive offensive line, the SLAM was able to roll for 292 rushing yards.

The defense, led by middle linebacker Kelly “Koz” Kozlen with 12 tackles, forced the Comets to turn the ball over 4 times on the night.  Linebacker Tiarra Pettis had 11 tackles and hauled in her first interception of the year while Frenchy had 11 tackles to go with the early interception.  Jarius Miriama recovered a fumble while Robin Morrow and Ogunware had 2 pass deflections each.

The SLAM has a bye the 21^st of June, the last week of regular season play.  The playoffs begin Saturday June 28^th and it is possible the SLAM will have a first round bye.  Playoff information will be announced once it is posted by the league.  For more information on the playoffs, tickets, statistics and SLAM events please visit the SLAM website at www.stlslam.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact:  Inge Metcalfe

General Manager

618-541-7526

314-991-4120 ext 135

slamfootball@hotmail.com

# # #

The NBA enjoyed a renaissance of sorts this season and pulled me out of a self-enforced retirement in time to take in some enjoyable postseason pro basketball for the first time in years. I am a sucker for star power and solid team play and I have seen a lot of both the past several weeks leading up to the much-hyped Finals featuring the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, that famed rivalry of yesteryear. Unfortunately the combination of a strong postseason and a Finals match-up that brought back memories of my formative years as an NBA fan has been very disappointing. Really I have myself to blame, higher expectations usually produce disappointment (which is why I am worried about seeing the new Indiana Jones movie yet am maintaining an even keel about the new Hulk flick) especially when I was already warned by a fellow MO.com writer that just because the uniforms are the same, these teams are not to be confused with the Bird/Magic squads. Don’t get me wrong, there has still been some great basketball played between these two teams - especially compared to what the Finals have given us the last few years. But it has not all been grand. So what has transpired in the first five games to sour my disposition about the NBA rebirth?

1) The Incredible Shrinking Kevin Garnett
My favorite player in the league for years has been KG. I have always thought it was unfair how he toiled away for so long on crappy Minnesota Timberwolves teams when he could have been a beast on a good team winning titles and tearing up the league. So now forces (and owners) conspire to put him on a team with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen in the NBA Finals and we get…a guy averaging 16.6 points per game and shooting 40% from the field? Against a Lakers team that has NO ONE who can stop him? It boggles the mind; this whole playoffs has totally changed the way I have thought about Garnett over the years and that is not a good thing.

2) I Do Not Know Who To Root For
I do not have any loyalty to either team and maybe, *maybe*, a lack of rooting interest has played a factor here. Living in the Midwest all my life, the only real NBA team I have ever pulled for was the Chicago Bulls of the 80s and 90s; Michael Jordan entered the league when I was in high school and single handedly made me an NBA fan where as before (and during. and ever since) I have been more of a college basketball guy. Even in the Midwest in the 80s there was a dividing line for most guys - were you Celtics or Lakers? But I was neither even though I appreciated the rivalry and the way that they played. The same applies to earlier round games this season where I had no favorites but one team either emerged as the team I pulled for or I just enjoyed the ride. Then the Finals began and I assumed I would be pulling for the Celtics due to the KG Factor. But neither team has really drawn me in as the series has gone on for various reasons. Plus I am tired of Boston teams winning titles. And the alternative is rooting for Kobe Bryant. Speaking of which….

3) Kobe Bryant
I have disliked Kobe Bryant since the day he entered the league. My opinion of him then was that he was a good player who was incredibly selfish and arrogant and wanted nothing more than to be Michael Jordan. My opinion of him now is that he is an excellent player who is incredibly selfish and arrogant and wants nothing more than to be Michael Jordan. I was lulled to sleep on Kobe this year due to the wave of “Kobe, he is a team player now!” exclamations but somewhere during the Lakers/Jazz series he reverted back to the Kobe I know and hate (assuming he ever reverted AWAY from the Kobe I know and hate, the jury is still out on that). He glares, he sulks, he gets pissed off. But man can he play, it hurts my head.

4) Somebody Call the Waaa-mbulance
I am sickened by the complaining that has taken place in this series. The Celtics are guilty of it to a degree, but for the most part the Lakers do not think they have fouled anyone or missed a shot they did not get hacked on yet. I have already addressed Kobe’s theatrics. Pau Gasol might still be whining that the Lakers gave up too much to get him. OK, I am joking but Gasol has been mostly invisible to me during this series outside of defensive rebounding (8 boards a game in the Finals) and waving his arms and complaining. I am surprised to see that he is averaging over 15 points a game in the series? That’s almost four points less per game than his regular season average, but still - are they counting the baskets he makes in warm-ups? Totally perplexing, maybe all his carrying on has distracted me. Sasha Vujacic is another crybaby of major proportions, though the tantrum he threw after he made Ray Allen look like Allen Iverson late in Game 4 (the lesson: never trust a guy who licks his fingers and straightens out his eyebrows during time-outs) was classic. Gotta love the foreign influx into the game.

5) I Am Officially Disgusted
First of all let me say that I think Tim Donaghy is a complete scumbag who will say and do anything it takes to weasel his way out of any punishment for officiating games in which he was gambling. But the fact that he can allege that the NBA has referees, “company men”, who will make calls to extend a series or help a big market team win and a reasonable person, whether he be a fan or a player or an average man on the street, does not immediately dismiss these allegations as the ranting of a man desperate to save his own hide, well that tells us all we need to know about the state of NBA officiating in 2008. It is terrible and continues to live up to most conspiracy theories that people have had for years. The NBA Finals has magnified that as in four out of five games the home team has seemed to get the benefit of the calls. With all the advances made in sports I can not believe that nothing can be done to improve the officiating so that there can not even be the hint of impropriety during a game. It is sad, really.

6) Where Is The Point?
I guess kudos have to be given to both the Lakers and Celtics for advancing to the Finals without a point guard who is even better than average; it makes me wonder if I overvalue the position of point guard. But the quality of play in the past five games has been overwhelmingly poor with spurts of incredible play. The playmaking of the stars on either side (Kobe Bryant vs. Paul Pierce) has been brilliant at times but it lends to more individual moves and less team play because neither has a very good point guard. If you look at the regular season numbers you will see that the top 18 players in the assists per game category are all watching the Finals from home (or from a Vegas strip club). The 19th player on that list? The suddenly unselfish Kobe Bryant at 5.4 assists per game. The Celtics’ young point guard Rajon Rondo is 22nd at 5.1 assists per game. If you look at the assists per 48 minute numbers, Rondo is the highest ranking player in the Finals at 20th (keep in mind there are 30 teams in the league). The Celtics have been hitting the court with second year player Rondo, who was born a month after the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, and fifteenth year player Sam Cassell, who was born four months after the first astronauts walked on the moon (and may have been hatched from a moon rock by the looks of him), as the point guards along with Eddie House, who until recently I thought was just a figment of the Sports Guy’s imagination (or his buddy House? or both?). Through five games these three have averaged 8.6 assists per game which is skewed HEAVILY by Rondo’s 16 assists in Game 2 (the trio has averaged 6.5 assists per game in the other four games). The Lakers point guards are Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar who have combined for only 4.4 assists per game. Those are very low totals for two teams in the Finals and I believe it reveals a lot about why the play has been so sloppy. And yes the Rondo injury may have played a part in these totals but he has been very inconsistent throughout the playoffs.

7) I Was Wrong
I believed that the Lakers were the superior team and that Kobe Bryant would have a monster series leading the Lakers to a split in Boston and a three game sweep in L.A. to secure the series in five games. But a funny thing happened the past week and a half: I realized that the Celtics are the better team. And really it is not that close. Boston has much better big men, better depth, more legit scoring options, the better point guard in Rondo (though growing pains for a second year player are common) and plays better defense. I mean, what was I thinking? It has been hard watching the games and being constantly reminded about how wrong I was. Nice to know that I was incorrect about Boston every step of the way: I thought they would sweep Atlanta (it took 7 games), lose to Cleveland (another 7 game win), need 7 games to beat Detroit because they could not win on the road (they beat the Pistons twice in Detroit to wrap up the series in 6 games) and now this. That Atlanta series has totally thrown off my bearings when it comes to the Celts.

Game 6 is tonight and I more than anything am rooting for a good game. It has been a disappointing series but despite its flaws it has been a lot of fun to watch, especially compared to the previous couple years. And I fully expect the Celtics to win…unless Tim Donaghy or one of the “company men” is officiating the game…;)

Big Brown, on steroids.  Horses in 28 of 38 racing states, on steroids.  So, um, does the Griffey Jr. of horses run in one of the 10 PED-free states?  I’m both confused, and conflicted about this, now more than ever.  It’s obviously been the norm, crazy as that sounds to me.  But not being a racing efficionado, I was caught unaware.  Maybe I was just in a great state of denial, like during the entire 90’s with MLB?  I’m not sure.  Safe to say that even though the playing field is probably even, (though it’s not close to an assurance given the stakes) well, it’s just not the issue.  The issue staring back at me is that since they’re animals, the horse racing industry apparently feel it’s Ok to do to whatever they like to them; it’s also the industry’s unending luck that basically, though they may be similar, horses are not East German women; therefore, public opinion, minus the usual PETA suspects seems to object very little to this “coming clean” by Dick Dutrow, Big Brown’s trainer.   But, at some point, if there is a human shred of dignity in the sport, The U.S. congress will look hard into this and ask, incredulously, “What kind of influence will this have on the Ponies?”  But since it appears steroid use is banned as of next year in all fifty states, this will go away. Yet, for me anyway, Big Brown and his run at the Crown has lost a little of it’s shine.  And it’s not because he may, or may not have an advantage.  It’s because, get ready - it just feels wrong.  Overly muscular Eight Belles would have agreed is my horse wager for the day.

A perfect segway to baseball - that other sport of opportunists.  Just for kicks, if the season had ended today, 64 games in, 98 to go, here are your playoff matchups:  In the NL, The Phillies win the east, and would play the wildcard Cardinals.  The Cubs would win the Central and host the D’backs.  So maybe, Cubs vs. Cardinals, for the pennant! Would that be the midwest’s version of Celtics vs Lakers?  Better still, would Reds GM Walt Jocketty ever, ever trade Francisco Cordero to the Redbirds for a bag of balls, ala Jerry West?!  (Probably never?)  Would Pinella’s Cubs ever pry Arod from The Yankees, for a young arm or two, (or half the roster, ala McHale for Garnett) and reunite him with his first skipper?   Two cities can dream about having a guy like David Stern as league czar-can’t they?

¼/p>

Espn, espn classic, and every other mainstream media outlet need to quit it!  Bird & Magic, Wilt & Russell, West, Jabbar; just stop it please, for the sake of the sanity of reasonable fans everywhere.  I’m mostly glad the Celtics are playing the Lakers, I really am.  The Pistons & The Spurs, or Pistons & Lakers, or Lebrons & Lakers (which would end all too abruptly) would have been by comparison colorless, and redundant - a theme the NBA has become all too familiar with.  The 1980’s was, and very likely always will be (anyone over thirty-five or so will immediately agree) the league’s crescent.  You didn’t just have the two teams that combined to win eight of ten titles.  You also had entertaining stars in Dr. J, Bernard King, George Gervin, Moses Malone, Marques Johnson; and formidable opponents in The 76ers, Bucks and Knicks; then The Pistons and Bulls in the East.  The West was of course juxtaposed with today’s East, and weaker.  The Rockets reached the finals twice in the decade, losing both times to the Celtics.  But it didn’t matter much.  The Lakers were not to be dethroned.  Five championships; eight finals appearances - they were the team of the decade; perhaps of league history.  When you have the best point guard to ever play, the league’s all-time leading scorer in the middle, and a HOF small forward in Worthy along side them, you have what’s called a no-brainer. 

Back to the 2008 finals. Or as I call it, reality.  Quit it, ABC, Espn, Disney (the creators of animated fiction at it’s best) etc.  STOP trying to tell us this is a renewal of that rivalry! The shirts and cities are the same, but it ends there.  You’re promiscuously lying, while promising something these two teams aren’t equipped to deliver on.  There were a minimum of three trancendant players in Bird, Magic and Kareem involved in that series.  Three players that basketball historians place on one’s all-time starting five alongside Jordan, and well - not Garnett anyway.  This series has the potential to showcase one trancendant figure in Kobe, who has three rings, and is flirting with rarified air, but has yet to leave his imprint on the collective basketball imagination in the Finals - despite those three rings.  Yet he’s close.  This is certainly his opportunity to seal his place alongside the all time greats who won regular season MVP’s, and rings in the same season.   But after that, you have Gasol, and Odom.  And Fisher.  Sorry Laker fans, but I don’t see a Jamaal Wilkes, Byron Scott or Bob Mcadoo in that lot, do you?  The Lakers are the team to beat, and have proven a tough out since the Gasol deal.  But that’s where any comparison to the five time champ, or even the Shaq led three time champ ends. 

Dissecting this version of the Celtics is trickier, as there are several unknowns.  Call them X-factors.  And comparing them to past Celtic teams is virtually impossible, as there are very little to draw. Yet, what’s interesting about them is it’s what gives them a chance to win!  What exactly should The Lakers expect?? From Garnett?  I,  Celtic fans, even teammates cannot be entirely sure.  Will be become a consistent post threat at last in spite of what appears to be his true talent?  Which is of course, as a step out threat to knock down jump shots where no one is willing to defend him. Strangely, the playoff success of the Celtics might depend upon Garnett’s field goal percentage from 15-17 feet!  So far so good; as Celtic fans collectively cringe.  And Paul Pierce.  Paul Pierce!  Is he becoming Dennis Johnson in front of our eyes?   Eh, probably not.  The job he did on Lebron was aided by Lebron’s shaky J.  BUT, he has showed a commitment and ability not seen heretofore to get big stops; on Hamilton, and Prince in the conference finals.  Kobe will pose his toughest challenge by far, and he won’t be asked to do it alone.  James Posey will no doubt get his chance.  Allen might get his for 5 minutes, just to see if he can annoy Kobe a little more. But, look for Pierce to not only continue to try and carry the load on offense, but eventually be matched up on Kobe in those tight spots, late in games.  If he can get some calls, and stay out of foul trouble, seems the series will rest mostly on this matchup. 

The other X-factors, in no particular order are: can Ray Allen become Robert Horry? Will the 22 yr old Rajon Rondo continue to create for his teammates and take care of the ball, while fearing his own jump shot more than fans do?   Will Derek Fisher win another? Nevermind. Can Kendrick Perkins contain Odom or Gasol, and stay on the floor?  Will Sam Cassell just ruin everything? And Finally, can Doc Rivers avoid being outmaneuvered by the vastly more experienced Phil Jackson?  Tune in and find out! I know I will.  Just don’t expect Wilt, Russell (Garnett will try his best, rest assured) Magic, Bird; West, Havlicek, etc.  Kobe vs Pierce will be entertaining.  Kobe might be supremely dominant; Pierce might have some say in that, thrusting himself into the mvp discussion.  If the Celtics pull the upset, he’ll no doubt be the prevailing reason.   Lord knows I’ve had my doubts about Pierce’s ability to elevate his team, but he’s proving his skeptic(s) wrong with each game.

So, there you have it.  There is enough to chew on and enjoy without the over hype, and inaccurate comparisons.  The Lakers and Celtics of the 60’s and 80’s were historic, landmark matchups that pretty much established the foundation for the future of the NBA.  And while today’s players are gifted they haven’t yet elevated themselves, and their teams into history the way those players inevitably did, which was abundantly clear to all watching at the time.  It’s not a knock on today’s players.  That’s a helluva lot to ask.  How do you compete with that? Bird would have played for $10/hr I’m pretty sure; Magic’s drug was the assist.  Russell’s was winning; Wilt’s was “scoring” (sic).  West is the NBA logo.  Let’s leave the legends where they belong - in the past - and hope to see one or two guys in this series establish something resembling their own legacy.  As fans, let’s help them begin that process by ending the comparisons, tonight. 

Naive, I know.  

I will instead brace myself for short shorts, 25 yr-old Converse Weapon commercials, and Jack and Dyan.  And hopefully, a little Johnny Most and Chick Hearn sprinkled in, along with seven entertaining games.

¼/p>

Q: Do you really think Ryan Ludwick will make the All-Star team?

A: He should! I’m not sure how you keep out a guy who is third in the league in Slugging and seventh in RBI’s. As a matter of fact, here’s the entire National League roster (in my humble opinion) as of 6/4/08:

Catcher: Brian McCann ATL, Geovany Soto CHI, Russell Martin LAD (apologies to Bengie Molina, Martin is the Dodger rep as per the antiquated “every team gets a representative” rule)

First Base: Lance Berkman HOU, Albert Pujols STL, Adrian Gonazalez SD

Second Base: Chase Utley PHI, Dan Uggla FLA

Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez FLA, Miquel Tejada HOU (Jose Reyes of the Mets is riiiight there)

Third Base: Chipper Jones ATL, Aramis Ramirez CHI, David Wright NYM

Outfield: Ryan Ludwick, STL, Pat Burrell PHI, Nate McLouth PIT, Adam Dunn CIN, Matt Holliday COL, Jason Bay PIT, Aaron Rowand SF (some of these players will get screwed over due to the entire country of Japan voting for Cubs outfielders and specifically Kosuke Fukudome, a nice outfielder having a solid year but NOT an All-Star year. It’s too bad Americans don’t care about the Japanese All-Star game or we could write in Tom Selleck or Tuffy Rhodes or Kelly Leak and screw with their game. Oh well, I guess we should just be glad there haven’t been any Japanese American Idol finalists yet….)

Starting Pitchers: Brandon Webb ARI, Edinson Volquez CIN, Tim Lincecum SF, Danny Haren ARI, Ryan Dempster CHI, Carlos Zambrano CHI, Ben Sheets MIL (juuuust missing the cut at this point is St Louis’ Adam Wainwright and Atlanta’s Tim Hudson)

Relief Pitchers: Billy Wagner NYM, Kerry Wood CHI, Brad Lidge PHI, Jon Rauch WAS (apologies to save leaders Jose Valerde of Houston and Brian Wilson of San Fran, but those ERA’s are too high. Props to set-up man deluxe Carlos Marmol of the Cubs as well.)

Q: Did you see that Showtime picked up “Inside the NFL” after HBO dropped it?

A: Yes, hopefully someone at Showtime has the good sense to cut all the fluff pieces and following around various people during game day sojourns and get back to SHOWING HIGHLIGHTS (with “the voice” of NFL films) AND COMMENTARY OF ALL THE GAMES. Crazy but I think it just might work.

Q: Great call on your NBA picks. I can’t wait for the Finals featuring the Cavaliers and Jazz. Oh wait, those teams haven’t played in weeks!

A: Nice. I’ve got to admit, I got a little aggressive picking three out of four upsets in the conference semifinals (especially seeing as how few road wins there were). But I did get the Pistons in 5 and the Spurs in 7? And I thought the winner of the Jazz/Lakers series would win it all, thus my Finals pick: ‘Lakers over Celtics in 5′.

Q: What do you think about this Cardinals/Cubs race in the NL Central?

A: I hope this is the makings of a great summer! The Cubbies are absolutely on fire; the Cards have been playing great and are losing ground. The Cubs have the best record in baseball right now with a dynamite offense. I still think their starters outside of Zambrano are overachieving and if they begin to falter the soft belly of the bullpen will get exposed (as it is, Marmol-to-Wood to close games has been money). I see the Cards continue to chug along, and worst case having a shot at the Wild Card. Throw in the 100 year anniversary of the Cubs last title and the Jim Edmonds storyline, and can you imagine the excitement of a Cardinals/Cubs NL Championship series? If the AL Championship game isn’t Yankees/Red Sox, the NLCS might actually get spoken about in national media.

Q: I didn’t know there was a Q&A section of this site, where can I submit questions?

A: You can’t, I make up the questions myself.

Q: CBS Sportsline ranked the Rams offensive line as 28th in the league. Can that be true?

A: If that was last year’s ranking, it would be generous. But this year that is way low based on all the experience gained in Orlando Pace’s absence plus all the other injuries the Rams encountered. A line of Pace, free agent signee Jacob Bell, Brett Romberg, Richie Incognito, and Alex Barron should be just fine thank you very much, with experienced depth to handle injuries (Mark Setterstrom, Brandon Gorin, Dustin Fry, Adam Goldberg, etc) plus a couple rookies added in the draft (John Greco, Roy Schuening) and there should be plenty there to keep the offense up and running. It is the Rams killer early schedule that has me more worried this year than anything else.

SLAM Shoot Down Memphis Belles 42-0

 Saturday night the St. Louis SLAM, St. Louis’s women’s full contact football team, pushed its record to 5-0 downing an inspired Memphis Belles team 42-0.  After a defensive stop, the SLAM offense took over and scored on its first possession of the game when Toya “Turtle” Brown capped the drive around the right end.  The extra point kicked by Heather Patterson was good and the SLAM went up 7-0.

The Belles, though unable to get its offense on track against a SLAM defense that allowed only 47 yards total offense on the night, put up a defensive fight in the first half.  The SLAM scored again in the second quarter behind the determined play of the offensive line and running backs Pat Riggins, Caroline Ogunware, Turtle Brown and wide receiver Gail Graff.  Turtle Brown finished the drive on a sweep to the left and delivered a punishing blow on the 2-point conversion to put the SLAM up 15-0 at half time.

The SLAM scored on its first possession of the second half after a long drive capped by a rush by Caroline Ogunware. Patterson’s extra point was good.  The SLAM leading 22-0 began to roll.  The SLAM passing game, which was a vital part of moving the ball all night, got into the scoring act when Quarterback Liz Lacy connected with receiver Gail Graff deep in the endzone.

Pat Riggins, the SLAM’s rushing work horse on the night, found the endzone in the 4^th quarter and was also successful powering her way into the endzone for the 2-point conversion.  Tight End Chris Hampton hauled in a pass from Lacy and rumbled in for the score to punctuate the air barrage and put the SLAM up 42-0.

The SLAM’s bone crunching, smothering defense was again led by linebackers Kelly “Koz” Kozlen, Tiara Pettis, and Jairus Mariama.  Robin Morrow hustled and covered on a SLAM kickoff, and Kozlen pulled down her 4^th interception of the season to keep the ball in the SLAM’s possession.

The SLAM returns home on Saturday May 31^st to host conference rival the Chattanooga Locomotion.  All home SLAM games are played at CBC High School at 1850 De La Salle Dr. Kick off is at 5:00pm. For more statistics, ticket and game day information please visit the SLAM website at www.stlslam.com.

 
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact:  Inge Metcalfe
General Manager
618-541-7526
314-991-4120 ext 135
slamfootball@hotmail.com

At 6:00 a.m. on April 5, 2008, while most twenty-somethings in across the city were hibernating from the previous night’s escapades, a brave few were slipping on their spandex and lacing up their Nikes.  One of those adventurous souls was 24 year old Lindsay Larsen from University City, Missouri.  In a few short hours she would be representing Deloitte and Touche in the Go! St. Louis annual 5k run through Forest Park.  Go! St. Louis has been “inspiring fitness one step at a time” by sponsoring marathons, half-marathons, and many other events around the city since 2000.

Go! St. Louis, formerly known as the Spirit of St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend, is a non-profit organization that encourages families to become healthy through living active lifestyles.  In the era of the diet in a bottle, lipo-dissolve, and fen-phen, it is refreshing to see an organization take such a positive approach to weight control and healthy living.  The program boasts of events such as April’s Marathon Fitness Weekend, which has evolved into the association’s signature event, attracting more than 16,000 participants last year alone.

Organizations such as Go! St. Louis are a breath of fresh air in what can often be a polluted atmosphere of fad and yo-yo diets.  It’s no surprise that so many young men and women are controlled by this type of lifestyle in a time when adolescence’s guiding doctrines include the E! channel, perezhilton.com, and the latest issue of Cosmo.

Ms. Larsen has perused her fair share of checkout-line magazines.  She even watches reality show rubbish on cable TV on occasion.  However, when it comes to keeping fit, she knows there are no shortcuts.  My praise goes out to Lindsay Larsen, accounting firm Deloitte and Touche, and individuals as well as organizations across St. Louis for embracing these types of events.   I will be the first to admit that  healthy living is as easy to discuss as last night’s Cardinals game, but when it comes to action, it can be more difficult to get off the couch than it is to hit a Chris Carpenter fastball.  However, to those that have done just that – my ball cap is off to you.