GO CRAZY FOLKS! Cardinals cap dream October
by Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Dancing then falling as a group before 46,638 paid, the Cardinals, a team seemingly splitting at its seams weeks ago, celebrated the redemptive power of October more than any team before them Friday night.
The first team to baptize a new facility with a World Series championship since 1923, the Cardinals won their first Series title since 1982 by completing a five-game domination of the Detroit Tigers with a 4-2 validation at Busch Stadium.
Starting pitcher Jeff Weaver, a July acquisition deemed not good enough by the Los Angeles Angels, offered a nerveless performance to further belie his New York-given reputation as a weak-kneed autumn arm.
Shortstop David Eckstein ended a World Series that began with 11 hitless at-bats by accounting for his team's first two RBIs Friday night and acknowledgement as Series MVP.
"We did not stay in the past, and we weren't looking toward the future. We stayed in the moment," said Eckstein, who finished with a .364 overall average to go with six hits and four RBIs in the Series' final two games.
A bullpen thought destitute after the Sept. 7 loss of closer Jason Isringhausen again provided the final punctuation point, this time with rookie Adam Wainwright finishing it with a three-pitch strikeout of Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge.
The Cardinals didn't just win their 10th World Series. They emerged from a disconsolate 83-win season, a 12-17 September and a near-calamitous final two weeks to outdo the 85-win 1987 Minnesota Twins for translating the fewest regular-season victories into a championship...
Read the full story at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
What's sad is that this series was terrible in the TV ratings. Maybe everyone knew like I did that the Tigers weren't going to cap off their amazing season with a championship crown, and they didn't want to get their hearts broken. Or maybe people just gave up after they realized the Twins or Yankees were not going to be in the hunt for the title. I've never liked the Cardinals because they remind me too much of the New England Patriots, always hanging around, making the playoffs despite having not a great season, etc. But Detroit...now Detroit was a feel good story I could buy in to. The worst part is that I don't think Detroit will be in the same shoes next year; after all, nothing gold can stay.
NHL: Inside the Buffalo Sabres' 10-0 start
by Brian Cazeneuve for SI.com
With their 3-0 win against the New York Islanders Thursday night, the Buffalo Sabres jumped to 10-0 and tied the NHL record set by the 1993-94 Toronto Maple Leafs for the most consecutive victories to start an NHL season. The Sabres will try to break the record against the Thrashers at home on Saturday night. There are many reasons to think that this year's club is for real. Here are 10 things we love about the 2006-07 Sabres:
RUFF-ING IT
Behind Buffalo's bench since the 1997-98 season, Lindy Ruff is now the longest-tenured NHL coach. Yet the ex-defenseman has adapted to the changing NHL as well as anyone. When he first took over behind the bench, Ruff seemed to prefer players like him who played his style: old school, rough, steady. (How many teams had a Brad May, Rob Ray AND Matthew Barnaby on its roster?) The team took few chances and defensemen rarely rushed the puck. As mobile defensemen such as Alexei Zhitnik joined the roster, Ruff opened up when it was appropriate. He is now employing a style that is perfectly suited for the post-lockout NHL...[read the full story at SI.com].
Is hockey even on television anymore? Maybe on the OLN network? Hockey seems like our forgotten sport, one that was barred from the television after a couple of years of dismal ratings. I wonder if Buffalo's hot start will draw some more attention to hockey the way streaks do in baseball? I've always liked and respected the sport of hockey, so let's hope so.
College Basketball
Preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll
1. FLORIDA (30) (33-6)
2. NORTH CAROLINA (23-8)
3. KANSAS (25-8)
4. OHIO ST (26-6)
5. (tie) PITTSBURGH (25-8)
5. (tie) UCLA (32-7)
7. LSU (27-9)
8. GEORGETOWN (23-10)
9. WISCONSIN (19-12)
10. ARIZONA (20-13)
Florida is the heavy favrorite to repeat as National Championships after returning all five starters from last year's squad. Seth Davis likes Kansas as a champ. But what about Wisconsin? Luke Winn answers that question for SI.com:
Big things expected of deep, healthy Badgers
The UW's high preseason ranking (in some cases, ahead of Arizona, the team it was blown out by in the first round of the NCAA tournament last March) isn't based strictly on the fact that the Badgers return four of five starters and their top three leading scorers: Tucker, senior guard Kammron Taylor (14.2 ppg) and junior forward Brian Butch (9.9 ppg). It's more because UW has re-assembled the team that looked dangerous in early January, starting 14-2 and cruising past Michigan State and Iowa -- as opposed to the squad that lost freshmen Marcus Landry and Greg Stiemsma for the second semester due to academic ineligibility, had myriad others hampered by injuries (including Tucker, who had to wear a face mask), and limped to the finish line with four straight losses and a final record of 19-12.
The Badgers' healthy options in 2005-06 were so limited at times during conference play, Tucker said, that team managers were forced to fill important spots in practice. With everyone back in the fold, and the addition of two talented freshmen guards (bullish point Trevon Hughes and sharpshooter Jason Bohannon), UW's workouts have become more bullish, and Tucker's depth claim looks legit...[read the full story]
After picking LSU to go deep into the tournament last year, there's quite a bit of pressure on me this year to make my national championship pick. Look for it in the coming weeks here at Veritas Lux Mea.
Music
"Hurts Like Teen Spirit" (Cash/Nirvana/"Don't Fear the Reaper" mix)
"Led Snooppelin" (Snoop/Led Zep remix)
Mat and Kim - "Yea Yeah"