Tuesday, December 02, 2008

30-Second Timeout

-Some random thoughts this time on the world of sports...or at least the region of sports.

-Poor Jim Haslett. Did he anticipate it could be this bad? Now, even though Scott Linehan started the season, Haslett's name is now more closely associated with this debacle of a season as head coach. I can't imagine he's getting much sleep. And, I can't imagine him getting the two wins that he supposedly needs to stay on as coach. He may be better off career-wise if he doesn't.

-It appears the Blues have something of a "Who's number one?" goaltending contoversy brewing. Manny Legace has served the team well during his tenure. But Chris Mason has suddenly become the more reliable guy over the last few weeks. It will be interesting to watch how Andy Murray handles this juggling act going forward. If Mason starts to clearly separate himself as the top dog, it would seem logical that Legace would become trade bait by the 3/4/09 deadline.

-Jeff Cooper's WPS club that will start play at Korte Stadium at SIU-E in April will be called Athletica. They say the name was sort of made up... which was verified by Cooper at the press conference announcing the moniker.-- "People ask, 'Is that even a word? Well, it is now." Sounds sort of "soccery" to me.

-I have nothing against Marc Bulger the person. He seems to be a decent fellow. But Marc Bulger the quarterback has sunk to the level of...dare I say, Tony Banks, Mark Rypien, or Jim Everett... during the Rams current mess. The one-time Pro-Bowl player is now among the worst QB's in the NFL...no matter what numbers to which you refer. To be sure, it's not all his fault. But a great quarterback, which most of us thought he was, or would become, would win a game or two during the season all by himself. It doesn't look like he's nearly capable of that given his borderline-pathetic play lately. I suppose most of us would get shell-shocked too if we were constantly harassed by enormous defensive linemen the way he's been. But, even so, the money that management has invested in Bulger...some 65 million dollars in the current contract...seems like a colossal misjudgment as of now.

-The next few weeks should prove interesting for Cardinals fans. With the Winter baseball meetings getting underway next week, and much on the wish list for GM John Mozeliak, we should get a pretty clear picture soon of how aggressively the 'Birds ownership will approach things. Aggression has never been a word associated with our team's spending habits...so noone should expect a major upgrade in payroll. And there seems to be more intent to build from within the system...so the expected future of certain minor-leaguers will likely be a major part of the thinking process too. If we get to the end of '08 with the lefty reliever and middle infield situation clarified for the better, I'll be pretty happy. After that, anything else deemed exciting will be a bonus.

-The Davids...Backes and Perron. Difference makers...sometimes. When they know their way around the league a little better, they'll be much fun to watch.

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