MLB spring training equivalent to NFL preseason?

If I were to tell you the 2010 World Series would feature the Tampa Bay Devil Rays versus the San Francisco Giants based on spring training records as of this day, you probably wouldn't give that prediction much credit. After all, MLB spring training is very similar to the NFL preseason in terms of teams evaluating talent and making final roster decisions, so much so that teams usually use split-squad games to divide the team and have a better opportunity to evaluate every player trying to make the big league roster. So how worried should the St. Louis Cardinals be with their 6-10 start to preseason that is third to last in the National League? The answer: not at all.

Here are a couple key numbers to consider: 26, 139, and 20. 26 is the combined plate appearances for the Cardinals two superstars, Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday. Everyone that follows baseball at all knows that Pujols is about as consistent as Christmas Day falling on December 25th. Pujols has only appeared in seven games, while Holliday has only played in 3 games and has been plagued by rib cage soreness. 139, on the other hand, happens to be the combined plate appearances for outfielders Joe Mather, Allen Craig, Nick Stavinoha, and Jon Jay. However, whoever makes the roster out of these four outfielders will only be a situational players with Colby Rasmus, the aforementioned Holliday, and Ryan Ludwick covering the green grass for the Redbirds. The last number to consider, 20, is the combined innings pitched for the Cardinals' top two starting pitcher tandem: Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. Indeed, pitchers aren't nearly in top form during spring training and normally are just trying to get the kinks worked out in each of their pitches, while trying to get their endurance up to throw 100+ pitches once the regular season starts.

Simply put, the Cardinals nor any other team doing poorly in MLB spring training has anything to worry about. If anything, I would tag the Cardinals as the favorites to win the National League Central again behind Pujols, Holliday, Carpenter and Wainwright.

As a lifelong Cardinals fan, I also need to put to rest the Pujols for Howard trade that gained momentum in the media this past week. How likely would it be for this to happen? Well that's pretty easy. There is zero chance, absolutely zero, zip, zilch, nada. Pujols is an icon in St. Louis, and also the best player in Major League Baseball. Yes, he could be eligible for free agency after the 2011 season, and Howard is a St. Louis native which on the outside makes a trade somewhat logical between the two teams. However, Albert is the face of the Cardinal franchise as well as a vital community asset with the dedication of the Albert Pujols Wellness Center for Adults with Down Syndrome that opened at St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield, Missouri last November. Needless to say, I think the Redbird faithful can rest easy and expect to see #5 to continue manning first base for years to come at Busch Stadium.

Frantic February

In the interest of time (mine that is), I have recently come to the conclusion that it would be much more economical to write at the end of each month and attempt to summarize the sports happenings, a certain Sparknotes for sports if you will. Well, here goes nothing...

The beginning of Feb-ru-ary brought the Super Bowl and what an anticipated matchup it was. In the left corner, weighing in with a record of 13-3 as the NFC Championship New Orleans "Who Dat?" Saints versus the 14-2 AFC Championship Indianapolis Colts. Not only was this a matchup between two high-powered offenses, but also two of the best quarterbacks in the game. Do we need to mention that Peyton's family lives in New Orleans, with his older brother Cooper as one of Drew Brees' best friends and his dad, Archie, an ex-QB for the Saints or was it the 'Aints back then?

Needless to say, the city of New Orleans couldn't have needed this Super Bowl more than The Office needs Michael Scott, Lost needs Jack Shepherd, How I Met Your Mother needs Barney Stinson, or Entourage needs Ari Gold. Lost you on the TV references? Apologies. Nevertheless, what transpired on that fateful first Sunday in February happened to be one great game for football history and one memorable moment for a city devastated by Katrina just 5 years earlier. In the interest of time, I think we all know the result...

Besides the end of another great football season, the college basketball season is still plugging along in its biggest month minus March. It seems like the Big East has emerged as one of the deepest conferences again with powerhouses Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia, and Georgetown to name a few. Not to mention, two number one seeds from last year, UConn and Louisville, are struggling to make the tournament. Nevertheless, it should be an interesting month of March. Who will hear the famed "One Shining Moment?" Will it be the Freshman leadership of John Wall and Demarcus Cousins for Kentucky, or the Senior leadership of Sherron Collins with big man Cole Aldrich inside, or maybe it will be the balanced scoring attack and suffocating zone defense of Syracuse? But don't forget to count out the Cindarellas!

Last but certainly not least, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics came and went with the almost remarkable upset of US Men's hockey defeating Canada on their home ice to win the gold medal. Stupid Sid the Kid had to ruin it in overtime. Still, the US won the medal count and had many spectacular performances throughout the games including Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn, Apolo Anton Ohno, Shani Davis, Bode Miller, and Evan Lysacek. Ohno became the most decorated athlete in the Winter Olympic games with two bronzes and a silver medal in these games.

That's about all I have time for right now. Unfortunately, until next month, adios amigos...

Cricket, rugby, netball, lawn bowling, and Tennis...all sports New Zealand/Australia!

So I haven't been on here in ages thanks in large part to my excursion for the month of January. I was privileged enough to take a "class" called sports ethics in New Zealand and Australia. I only put class in quotations because the class pretty much involved some daily journaling and class discussions. Hard, huh?

Our trip started in New Zealand and more specifically Queenstown on the south island. This is where we learned the majority of the sports prominent in this part of the world including cricket, rugby, netball, and lawn bowling. We got to watch some videos, and talk to some experts on the sports and actually try our hand at playing them. Boy, I haven't seen a group of Americans look more uncoordinated than we did trying to play some of these sports. Now granted, not all of us were athletic but we had our fair share of football players and other athletes on the trip. We couldn't have looked more foolish trying to his the cricket ball with the bat. After a week long stay in Queenstown, which included some sightseeing on Routeburn Track and Milford Sound, we flew to Cairns, Australia for another week. We were able to take in the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef and experience a true tropical climate. After a short stay in Cairns, we headed to Melbourne to take in the Australian Open. As an avid tennis fan, this was nothing short of the biggest highlight in the class in the first place. I had never seen live tennis, much less in a spirited, reasonable, and fun atmosphere like the Australian Open. We had tickets to the first five days of the Open and I took in about as much tennis as I possibly could for those five days. Some of the highlights I got to see included the main man himself, Roger Federer, Rafa, Roddick, Sam Querrey, Andy Murray, Juan Martin Del Potro, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, the Bryan brothers, Gael Monfils, Fernando Gonzalez, and last but not least a Gustie alum in the doubles draw with partner Rajeev Ram was Eric Butorac. We were able to attend two of Butorac's matches, nicknamed "Booty", and boy was that an atmosphere in and of itself. Our class went all out including body paint, chants, cheers, and nothing but tennis craziness. Our efforts helped Booty and Ram win their first two matches and eventually into the quarterfinals only to lose to the Bryan brothers in a 3rd set tiebreaker. However, they did upset the 7th-seeded team in the world from Poland, a match that our group can somewhat take credit for as it was a tough 3-setter and our support may have gave them that little extra advantage in the third. Thankfully our efforts didn't go unnoticed as we were interviewed courtside by an ESPN anchor and the Australian Open camera crew took a video of our spirited USA chants. Those five days made the trip totally worth it.

After an intense week in Melbourne, we moved onto our final week of the trip in Sydney, Australia. We had a lot more down time, and we were able to explore more of the city. We visited two of the famous beaches, Manly and Bondi, and stayed long enough for some of our group to assume a pinkish hue from the sun. We were even lucky enough to take in Australia Day right outside our hotel in Darling Harbour complete with live music and fireworks. Of course a visit to Sydney isn't complete without visiting the Opera House, which we did in one of our last days there and saw La Traviata, a famous opera performed in Italian.

I couldn't have asked for anything more out of this trip, and it definitely was the experience of a lifetime. I only hope that I will someday be able to return and hopefully take in the Australian Open again. The atmosphere there is unlike anything I have ever seen in America at a football, basketball, or baseball game. It may even trump European soccer but I have not experienced that for myself so I cannot say for sure. However, I do know that it is a must attend event for all sports fans and especially tennis lovers.

What a month.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!