How about those SLU Billikens? Could they beat the Mizzou Tigers? Some strange coaching hires in the NFL. The L.A. Rams. Also, a Hall of Famer calls out Mike Matheny…in good jest.
Conklin (Photo via St. Louis Athletics)
Last night’s 73-68 win over Xavier was an impressive feat. The Musketeers had not lost at home since 2006, a span of 43 games. Xavier had beaten SLU seven straight games dating back to 2007.
It was only the 4th time since 1922 the Billikens won at Xavier (Thank you Nate Sizemore). St. Louis had a 12-point lead at halftime and surrendered several Xavier comebacks.
It’s a big road win for the Billikens. It shows they have grown as a team and proves their resiliency in tough buildings.
Meanwhile, Mizzou hit a road bump last night. They lost 79-72 to Oklahoma State in Stillwater.
Winning on the road is probably the hardest component of sports. Learning to deal with adversity in loud, abnormal settings is extremely difficult for any team at any level.
Phil Pressey (Flickr by Rrescot)
That being said, Mizzou won’t win a lot of games when they shoot 21% from downtown and Phil Pressey has 2 assists. Missouri blew an 8 point lead with under 15 minutes to play. Simply put, the Cowboys hit shots Mizzou typically makes.
It’s not the end of the world, Columbia. Just like SLU won’t be throwing a championship party tonight.
The greatest part about college basketball: losing in January won’t ruin a team’s chances at a National Championship, losing in March does.
But, just to stoke the fire … who would win on a neutral court?
Greg Schiano, Chuck Pagan, Joe Philbin, Romeo Crennel, Dennis Allen…
Catch my drift yet?
How lucky are the Rams to have plucked Jeff Fisher from the coaching pool? I mean seriously. Who knows what these guys will end up doing in their respective cities, but boy are the Rams in good shape going forward. Considering it has been a decade of terrible luck, maybe the ball will start to bounce their way.
Hold that thought.
L.A. (Image via Wikipedia)
Realistically, it might bounce to Los Angeles. Rumors are circling that Stan Kroenke is considering submitting a bid to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers. This would pretty much seal the deal west.
NFL cross-ownership rules prohibit Kroenke from controlling interest in a major sports team outside of the football team’s market.
Last year, Kroenke designated the Colorado Nuggets, Avalanche, and Rapids to his son Josh to get approval to be the majority owner in St. Louis.
St. Louis better hope Mark Cuban pony’s up. This is not good news at all.
A Lost Art of Stealing
Lou Brock (Image via Wikipedia)
HOF Lou Brock recently pleaded with new Cardinals manager Mike Matheny to engage a base runner on his 2012 squad. Brock swiped 938 bags during his illustrious nineteen-year career.
“Will you please have a base stealer!” he announced during the Baseball Writers dinner last week.
A look back …
Tyler Greene led the team with 11 steals, and only played in 58 games.
Albert Pujols had 9, Jon Jay 6. There 57 as a team ranked last in the NL.
The Cardinals have not had a 20+ burglar since 2008 when Cesar Izturis stole 24.
With Pujols gone, the Cardinals will need to manufacture runs in every way, shape, and form. As of now, Greene and Jay are the only real threats. The Cardinals have savvy base runners, but not base stealer’s.
Jay mentioned he has worked on his footwork a ton this off-season trying to get a quicker burst in his acceleration.
Thanks for reading…Keep Grindin’
Daily Grind Sports 