LITTLE ROCK — Cardinals play game of chance
After Wednesday, it’s easy to see why St. Louis Cardinals fans sometimes have a negative view of their team’s front office.
That would seem to be the general consensus after General Manager John Mozeliak and Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. continued what could be politely called risky negotiations.
In general, the Cardinals hope Albert Pujols’ contract demands are too rich for other potential suitors and he decides to give a hometown discount to the Cardinals.
Risky? Yes.
Stupid? Well, we’ll know this coming winter.
Indeed, anteing up $30 million a season is a lot. To foot the bill, the Cardinals looked at raising the price of a Natural Light Beer to $11 from $7 a cup this season.
Marketing studies quickly showed they would need to sell 2.7 million cups, or one for every fan who comes to the new Busch Stadium.
Underage drinking laws and people’s disdain of Natural Light quickly ruled that option out. So, here we are.
Or, as Brian Burwell of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch paints the multimillion-dollar intrigue: “We keep asking the question ‘Is Pujols worth it?’ A better question might be, what if the Cardinals are wrong?” Joe who?
With its rotation, the Philadelphia Phillies tout four potential Cy Young Award candidates in Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee (Benton, Arkansas Razorbacks), Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.
Oh, there is Joe Blanton, too.
It’s a fact that sportspickle.
com used to deftly craft a beauty of a faux transcript from a news conference introducing the staff.
Reporter: So can you tell us, in your own words,how bad Joe Blanton really is?
Cliff Lee: Sure. Okay, so you know how the other four guys up here - me, the two Roys and Cole - can throw a baseball very fast and with movement and to specific locations around the plate?
Reporter: Yes.
Lee: Well, Joe can’t do any of that.
Next big thing?
We love the theater of the absurd.
See our amusement over watching a YouTube clip of actor James Earl Jones reading Justin Bieber lyrics.
Now, we have a sport fit for our taste: unicyle football.
For five years, the league has been running at a vacant farmer’s market in San Marcos, Texas, played by the gritty and well coordinated.
For example, the kickoff is replaced by jousting as players try to unseat opponents using long sticks with gloves affixed to the end.
What’s not to love?
It sounds like we have a replacement if the NFL goes on strike.
“Their ability to ride unicycles and throw long bombs and make plays is amazing,” Carlton Pride, a referee for the league, told UPI, “as is the athleticism and the fact that most of them don’t know what real football is.”Quote of the day
“When somebody has a chance to take the
Daytona 500 trophy home, you do things that you weren’t going to do
100 laps before that.” NASCAR driver Jeff Burton
Sports, Pages 18 on 02/18/2011