Cardinals' Last Stand?

The Cardinals have to be feeling a lot like General George Custer right now.

They flew into the 2007 season with the highest of expectations. Fresh off their playoff heroics and the most unlikely World Series Championship in team history, the birds boasted a formidable lineup at season’s beginning. Albert would be Albert. Rolen and Edmonds had passed their prime, but both would still hit .270 average and bat in 80 runs. Eckstein would hit .300 and continue his clutch ways. The starting rotation, however, was suspect. Chris Carpenter would win fifteen to twenty games, and Wainwright would be a solid number two starter. Looper, Reyes, and Wells were question marks, but each had showed ability to win at the big-league level.

Opening night was fraught with pomp and pageantry. Fans cheered as the team rode around the warning track in convertibles, and members of the 1967 and 1982 Championship teams were on hand to celebrate with forty thousand plus raucous fans. Actor Billy Bob Thorton emceed the ceremony as the franchise’s tenth World Championship banner was hoisted above the stadium. The expectations were high; the enthusiasm was palpable.

Then the baseball began, and reality quickly hit.

The Cardinals dropped three straight to the visiting Mets and lost four of their first five. After a rash of injuries, (Chris Carpenter, Braden Looper, David Eckstein, Jim Edmonds and Yadier Molina have all spent time on the DL), abysmal starting pitching, (Reyes 0-10, Wells 4-13), and lack of any prolonged winning streak, the NL Central favorites find themselves six games under .500. But since the their division lacks the depth of, say, the AL East, they remain only eight games behind first place Milwaukee.

And tonight the Brew Crew come to town.

The redbirds have failed time after time this year to get back in the race. With the trade deadline looming and the Brewers threatening, tonight is their last stand.

Aforementioned problems notwithstanding, this team has one last chance to put themselves in a position to make the playoffs. If they sweep the series against Milwaukee and Chicago—currently two games out—goes 2-2, the Cardinals will pull within four games of first. Unlikely it is, but impossible it is not.

I’ve counted out the Cardinals time and time again this season, and I’m sure I’ll do it again if they blow it with the Brewers. Will the Cardinals win the World Series in 2007? Before you answer, how likely was it in 2006?

"Sherk"ing Responsibility

UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk (left) and number one contender Hermes Franca squared off for the UFC’s Lightweight Championship earlier this month, and after five rounds of complete domination by the champion, Sherk retained his belt with a unanimous decision victory. At no point was the champion close to finishing Franca, but after five rounds of slamming him to the ground, passing his guard, mounting him at will and escaping his submission attempts, one thing became unmistakably clear. Few lightweights will be able to deal with the strength that Sherk brings into the Octagon.

Sean Sherk had become somewhat of a hero in recent weeks. Shortly before UFC 73, UFC All-Access—which gives fans a behind-the-scenes glance at fighters’ home life and training regimen—featured the Lightweight Champion and left the MMA world abuzz. Sprinting up steep hills, smashing truck tires with sledgehammers, sparring ten rounds without a hint of rest, Sherk showed fans all around exactly how he got his chiseled physique…or so we thought.

Last Thursday the California State Athletic Commission revealed that both Sherk and Franca both failed their pre-fight drug tests. Both tested positive for anabolic steroids. Franca quickly issued an apology, admitting guilt and claiming that he took the drugs to help him recover from a pre-fight injury. Sherk denies the allegations altogether. Both fighters will be fined a portion of their winnings and must serve a one-year suspension. Sherk has filed an appeal, and a hearing will take place early next month.

I’m not going to say Sherk is guilty, but look that the picture above. He looks more juiced than a bottle of Hawaiian Punch!

Unfortunately, Sherk and Franca’s failed drug tests are not isolated incidents but rather further evidence of growing steroid problem in MMA. Tim Sylvia has tested positive, as has Royce Gracie. You can add Kevin Randleman and Vitor Belfort to the list too. The problem is that, at the moment, UFC drug testing is conducted on a largely random basis. Those fighting for a title can expect to tested, but other than that, it’s only as unfortunate few.

Doping no doubt gives athletes in other sports an unfair advantage, but in MMA it’s simply dangerous. Remember Diego Sanchez’s knockout of Joe Riggs or Rashad Evans’ high kick against Sean Salmon. Think of what Gabriel Gonzaga did to Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 70. If Sanchez, Evans, and Gonzaga can do that to their opponents when they passed their drugs tests, can you imagine what they could do on steroids?

As much as I love MMA, I must say that it does provide greater risk for injury than most other mainstream sports. And if someone is seriously injured—or worse yet killed—in the Octagon, that just may be the death knell for the UFC. If UFC president Dana has even a scintilla of integrity or concern for his fighters, he will take drug testing into his own hands. At the moment he’s content to leave it up to state athletic commissions.

The fact is this. The more doping in MMA, the more likely it is for someone to get seriously injured in the Octagon. If Mr. White doesn't act soon, he may pay dearly!

Better Than a Movie

I was ready to crown the Michael Vick dog fighting story as the sports story of the decade. Less than a week after his indictment, a new story has emerged that may blow that story away. I'm not going to pretend to be an NBA die hard, but you really don't have to be one to understand the implications of Tim Donaghy helping to fix games for the mob. If you saw this in a movie, it would be fun to watch...but there is no way you'd ever believe it would happen. The only other time sports has imitated art this much that I can remember is Kirk Gibson's dramatic home run off of Dennis Eckersley in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. To say the least, this is nothing like that. The Tim Donaghy scandal (we need to come up with a creative, fun name for this) is the NBA's worst nightmare. A league that desperately needed something good...some ray of hope, now has to face the fact that every marginal call from now on will be rightfully questioned by fans. Was the ref in on the fix? I never thought I'd live in a world where this is a reality.

For years there have memorable contests in all the major sports where a questionable call or two seemed to change the outcome of the game. Throughout my life, I recall many people whom I considered uneducated or stupid, saying that some of these games in question were fixed. My thoughts were: "Yeah right", "Humans make mistakes", "What other conspiracies does he believe?". Maybe I was wrong? If Donaghy was able to possibly fix this many games, what other people have fixed games that we haven't found out about? David Stern has his work cut out for him. This is the nightmare scenario for a league that badly needed some good publicity.

This last year, the NBA All-Star game came here to yours truly...Las Vegas, NV. It was the hardest ticket in the history of Las Vegas sports. The game was taken off the board here in the sportsbooks to ensure there would be no ties to gambling. Since the handle on a contest like this was far less than what the casinos made on visitors who came in that weekend, they obliged. There were serious problems here in Vegas that weekend (good for another blog), but the weekend itself was something we needed to do to try and get a professional franchise here. Now, who knows? Was this enough to scare every major sport from coming here? As Las Vegas residents, this story is also a nightmare because it could have major consequences on our efforts to lure a team into coming here. This is simply not fair.

Most people associate Las Vegas with gambling and it's mob past. One of the last frontiers in the wild, wild west. Anything goes. What happens here stays here. You get the picture. While it's true this image often plays itself out every weekend, the mob has no part in it. I'm not saying they don't exist; I'm saying they don't have the power they once had here. Every major casino here is corporate now. No skimming in the back rooms...it's all legit. The reason that's important: because of the highly regulated and highly watched ways Las Vegas exists, a scam like Tim Donaghy would not happen here. If it was attempted, it would be caught far before 2 years. For those that want proof, google the 1994 Arizona St. point shaving scandal. You want to eliminate sports fixing? Eliminate the back alley bookie or the online casino. Although it's not yet known how/where Donaghy influenced the action on his games, it's nearly impossible that it happened here in legal sportsbooks. So now that Donaghy has screwed the NBA, hopefully he didn't also screw us here in Vegas. Only time will tell.

I said it before, I'm not a big NBA fan. The league has far too many problems which I've documented before. When this story broke, I couldn't have been more shocked. This isn't just horrible for the NBA, it has major implications for every sport and my city as well. Although the NFL will act like it isn't true, it's popularity has skyrocketed with the advent of more gambling outlets such as fantasy football and online sportsbooks. The NFL is a league that won't even let NBC advertise it's hit show "Las Vegas" during Sunday Night Football telecasts. This is the degree to which it wants to try and separate gambling and it's product. I completely understand the concept, but now many of their irrational fears have become somewhat rational. As Las Vegas residents, we will now have to pay the price for having legal, regulated sports betting more than ever before. In a world where you can place a bet that is completely unregulated with two clicks of a mouse, Vegas should not be the enemy. How many years will it take for one of the suits of any major sport to figure that out? With the help of Oscar Goodman, David Stern was almost there. We've already submitted our proposal to gain an NBA franchise. Although it's not official yet, we should have a new sports arena open by late 2010. With a population of 1.9 million, we're ready. No word has come yet...and now, we're probably screwed! F Donaghy. Seriously, F him. The damage he's done can't be measured in dollars. The integrity of the game, for truly the first time, has been called into question. As a sports fan, this makes me sick. As a Vegas resident, I'm beyond mad. I can't write about this anymore tonight as I feel my blood pressure rising beyond the levels of the great Lady Madden. I'm going to pop a Percocet and head to bed. Turning the television off now and...

Wait, Jodi Sweetin got married here in Vegas this weekend at the Little Church of the West. Anybody ever watch her show Pants Off Dance Off? I couldn't begin to name the channel it's on. TIVO it. Best show nobody has ever heard of. Now that I know she is married, I can rest easy. Local news always has the best reporting.

Michael "Con" Vick, "Depriciated" Bonds, and Jerry "Ying" Yang: A Chris Berman Blog Title

The NFL is light years ahead of any other sport in it's popularity. It's television ratings and revenue are unmatched for any other sport. There is absolutely no debating it. Yesterday, the face of a franchise, Michael Vick was indicted on charges that he is involved in a dog fighting ring. Dog fighting. Really? Apparently 40,000 people in the U.S. are involved in this "sport". What kind of sick, twisted individuals are these people?

With a day of reflection, I've seen that some of the arguments that support dog fighting claim that it's part of inner-city or black culture. Although these people are the vast minority, they are completely wrong. I'm not even a dog owner, yet I can't avoid grimacing when I hear or see details about this "sport". Like most Americans, I had no idea that this even existed. The good of this case is, that hopefully, people involved in dog fighting will be eradicated and have much harsher punishment than what they have now.

Let's not make the mistake of innocent until proven guilty here. I completely understand that this IS policy in all civilian trials, but let's be real. (Random voice from above: "BE REAL SON!")

Michael Vick is an asshole. Correction: Asshole. Seriously, wouldn't you rather have a drug addict at QB? At least a drug addict can rehab and pee his illness out. Michael Vick is a sick, sick human being. You can't cure stupidity. Risking his multi-million dollar contract for a few thousand on some dog fights. Unforgivably dumb. You can throw his brother Marcus into the label as well. Together, they are a perfect example of why bad or stupid human beings should not be allowed to breed. What parent raises kids like this? If I were President, there would be mandatory breeding laws. Certain people should not be allowed to breed. Low IQs? Too evil? Well guess what?...You don't get the privilege of....@%#%ing. Crime would be down, IQs would be up, poverty almost non-existent. This will never happen, but I thought it might be worth mentioning here. Marcus and Michael Vick are both an absolute disgrace to humanity. Blame mom. I don't care how hard it was being single and poor, she clearly sucked as a mother.

How guilty is he? This is not like the Duke Lacrosse scandal. There are NO conflicting reports. Also, it is not a county DA involved...it's big brother himself, the federal government. FACT: 90% of all people indicted by the Fed, settle out of court. FACT: Of the 10% of the cases that do go to trial, there is a 95% conviction rate. With that said, don't even attempt to give Vick the benefit of the doubt. He's an ASSHOLE.

On to Barry Bonds. Guess what! I want him to break the record...soon! 2 reasons...both kind of selfish. 1. I picked him up in the 12th round of this year's fantasy baseball draft and he has far exceeded expectations...19 points today with his 2 home runs! 2. The sooner he gets past Hank, the less we have to see: ESPN "Chasing Aaron" scrolling along the bottom line of ESPN, highlights on SportsCenter of every half-important AB, or the famous "Chasing Aaron" popup that comes across the screen every friggin' time you try to see the MLB scoreboard for the day. I love ESPN, but c'mon people. That's all about that. I hate him, but I root for him for selfish reasons.

Last, but not least, congratulations to Jerry Yang...this year's winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event. He's a psychologist from Temecula, CA. When this comes out on television, I'm not sure but, it could shatter the unintentional comedy scale. He's not as big of a tool as Jamie Gold, but at 5'3 he has to stand up on A LOT of pots to intimidate the other players. He played very aggressively and also very intelligently at the final table. I'm not sure anybody could have done any better.

This is Chris Berman reporting, ESPN NEWS.

Bonds Depreciation

Barry Bonds is arguably the most hated athlete in professional sports. A few nights ago I had the opportunity to see the Cardinals-Giants game at Busch Stadium and, like in most ballparks these days, the fans had it out for Barry. His slightest involvement in any situation aroused the ire of the crowd. An announcer would speak his place in the starting lineup, and the fans would begin to hiss; a Cardinal would pop out routinely to left, and thousands would begin to jeer; the loudspeakers would announce his name as he strolled to the plate, and the forty-thousand plus in attendance would boo so loudly that you would think Don Denkinger had returned to Busch.

One thing became clear that Saturday evening. Barry Bonds has more enemies than Fidel Castro.

If you were to ask your average baseball fan why they dislike Bonds, his answer would probably include some mention of steroids. Bonds himself has admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs, but lost a great deal of respect by claiming that he did so unwittingly by using some type of laced topical cream. I believe, however, that our river of hatred runs much deeper than the steroids. Names like McGwire, Sosa, Giambi and Palmeiro are all synonymous with the juice, but only Bonds’ generates such singular scorn.

Although there are probably more reasons than we can count for why we hate Barry Bonds, I’ve listed what I believe to be the big three.

1) He has no respect for the game of baseball.

The nephew of Bobby Bonds and the godson of Willie Mays, Bonds comes from one the greatest baseball families in the history of the game. While he possesses talent comparable to either of them, Bonds lacks their class. Where Bobby Bonds and Willie Mays both epitomized athletic class, Barry typifies the narcissistic, unapproachable, larger-than-life superstar. He berates reporters and fans without hesitation. He is a clubhouse pariah.

2) He’s not a team player

To be completely honest, there have been few superstars in baseball history who have had such incredible talent but a lack of desire to help his team. When you look at other MLB superstars—guys like David Ortiz, Albert Pujols, and Derek Jeter—they all step up and lead their teams at crucial times—both in the dugout in the press.

3) Steroids Allegations

As I’ve already mentioned, steroids aren’t the only reason fans hate Barry, but they certainly hurt his cause. What makes fans even more averse to Barry is his insistent denial of any wrongdoing. Just look at his physique now compared to when he came up with the Pirates—he’s gotten huge. Some of that can be attributed to weight training, but by no means all of it. If there’s anything to learn from Pete Rose, it’s that America hates a liar.

Hopefully you’re reading this Barry. Maybe now you’ll know why.

ONLINE POKER

I had no work today. Went to bed at 3, woke up at 11. I went to go get my oil changed at 1:00 and had an approximately 2 hour wait to pick my car up. I had 2 beers at the local bar 'n grill while my car got serviced. 2 things were for sure at that point: 1. I was going to play poker. 2. I wanted a few more drinks. As you may or may not know, I live in the greatest city in the world, Las Vegas, NV. If it isn't the greatest city in the world (as to which I vehemently disagree), it certainly is the poker capital of the world. My thought was I should hit my favorite local casino and play some 1-2 no limit poker. Great thought. Free drinks, competitive play, on the way home.

I never made it there. My mind started to race. Why go there? I can play at home with half the rake?! Also, I won't have to drive home intoxicated. Within 3 minutes of my favorite local casino, I veered east towards my home in the far north of Las Vegas. After making dinner for my loving wife, I made a nice Crown 'n 7 and logged on to play online. Actually, I'm still playing as I write this.

The point is this....even though I live in the poker capital of the world, sometimes it's more fun to play online. Any drink available, low rake, fast play, no driving home. With the recent legislation (Safe Port Act-2006) passed through Congress, many people are scared of playing...and rightfully so. Once again, the government has decided to rub it's nose into the common person's business. Because of bureaucracy, we have a very ambiguous law that scares a lot of people. According to most legal professionals, the act of playing poker itself is not illegal but the act of depositing money into such accounts is illegal. Nice. And yes, that same legislation protected online horse racing wagering. So, as usual, this makes a lot of sense. It's OK to play poker if you have money in a poker account, but not OK to deposit money if you run out...oh yeah it's OK to bet on horses too (and deposit if you run out).

This is why I'm writing this. I ask each and every person that reads this blog (all 4 of you) to support HR 2046, the Internet gambling legalization bill. Poker is a skill. I could care less if online slots, blackjack, craps, or any other chance game is made legal. Poker is one of the great games of American history. With it's technological advancement, it should remain legalized in all forms. If the government decides it needs to regulate the industry, so be it. I'm willing to give that right to government if I can keep my freedom of playing a game of skill online. Who's with me? Buehler? Buehler??

The great P'Loza wanted me to make World Series predictions. I say it's way, way too early for that but OK. Note: these will change in 2.5 months. Further note: he will probably edit this out. (Editors Note: Quit being a chickenshit and pick a winner already! - TPC)

ALCS: LA Angels over Detroit
NLCS: San Diego over NY Mets

World Series: LA Angels over San Diego

My brain says Detroit over SD or NY Mets, but I'm going to go ahead and let my heart pick. I hate Detroit, I hate SD and NY Mets...so why not put a team in the WS that I enjoy to watch?!

Rich Kim

World Series Picks - The People's Champ

Now you have all of our divsional picks here's my NL/ALCS and World Series picks. I would love to hear who everyone else would pick. Leave a comment or send us an email to bullpencatcherblog@yahoo.com and let's see what ya got! We'll be posting Rich's predictions later when he sobers up.


ALCS
Detroit over Boston

NLCS
San Diego over Milwaukee

World Series
Detroit over San Diego

TPC