Unruly Rambling - sports category

World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals

Sun, 10 Dec 2006 02:21:31 GMT

I watched the climactic ending with my 1 year old son sitting on my knee. This was a timeless moment that I will remember forever. Nothing could equal being there, but I came close.

Pujols Priceless

Wed, 19 Oct 2005 11:23:54 GMT

I received the following image less than 24hrs after Pujols helped bring the cardinals back to St Louis for game 6. What would we do without photoshop.

New NHL CBA

Sat, 23 Jul 2005 15:58:08 GMT

I have to say, I'm pretty sore at the greedy players after this last lockout. I'm glad they got less than what the owners offered last year. They DESERVE less. Why should the average Joe that makes 40K per year ante up more so Keith Tkachuk can ask for more than the 11 mil he is currently making. Did I mention he wasn't work 11K in 2003's playoffs. Really, what kind of things can you afford at 15 mil that you can't afford at 11? I hope they run Tkachuk out of town faster than he can get his Boston jersey off. Yea, I'm bitter can you tell. I commend players like Barret Jackman who played for the Otters last year and donated his entire salary to charity. He sacrified the possiblity of a career ending injury for the love of the game. A player with this kind of vision and itegrity is the kind I want my son looking up to.

Here are my thoughts on some of the changes with the new CBA:

Player cost tied to revenue: Hmm, this sure sounds like the company I work for. If they don't generate revenue, I don't generate a paycheck. This increases the likelihood of the NHL being around long term and is a fantastic decision.
No individual player salary can exceed 20% of a Club's Upper Limit on payroll: Again, this is a great move. If the team payroll is going down because revenue isn't high enough, let the highest priced guy take the hit.
New Substance abuse policy: I don't have a strong opinion either way on this one. My personal stance is that these substances shouldn't be used, but the reactive approach that professional leagues have make it easy to sneak by. So I'm fine with whatever the league chooses knowing it won't be followed 100%.
Compliance buyouts: I will really enjoy seeing Tkachuk being run out of town with this one. Come on Larry, do it today and make my weekend!
Entry level salary bump: I'm okay with this one and don't have a strong like or dislike either way.
No All Star Game during Olymipic Years: I like this one a lot. I also hope they shut down the NHL during the qualifying rounds too. In 2002 Pavol Demitra left the St Louis Blues early to play in Slovakia's qualifying round which meant he missed a couple NHL games. While I understand that he wants to support his country, I don't see why I should get less of a product on the ice while he is away. They didn't discount my tickets at all for those games. My being a season ticket holder, I expect the best possible product day in and day out.
No Contract Renegotiating during its term: No shit, really. Why on earth should a player be able to regotiate during a given contract? He made his bed, now sleep in it. I wonder if my boss would allow me renegotiate the amount of money we agreed upon when I accepted my job. I'm sure I would get a pretty good laugh out of him if I asked though.
New Signing deadline - Dec 1st: I love this new rule. Now a restricted free agent that is up at the end of a given season can't play past Dec 1st if he isn't signed beyond that year. Can you say fewer holdouts? Can't wait till the first guy tests this and his team wins the cup without him.
Unrestricted Free Agency: With the new salary changes, I think it is only fair to free up the players to shop themselves elsewhere. If they aren't the 20% player on Team A but could be on Team B, let em walk at a younger age. This is America for crying out loud.

All in all, I think the players did a great job of renegotiating the worst possible deal for themselves. The owners finally did something smart that will allow them to actually make a few bucks which they deserve. I'm looking forward to a more blue collar NHL and can't wait till October 5th!!!!

Tour De Cure - Help a good cause and sponsor me!!

Fri, 18 Feb 2005 03:13:43 GMT

Well it's that time of year again. Time for me to beg everyone that I know to donate a few bucks to the American Diabetes Association. Last summer Hans asked me to join his cycling team, Velocity, for the Tour De Cure ride. I did and it was a fantastic experience. Besides great weather, I was able to help make a small difference in the fight against Diabetes.

Last year I ended up doing the 50 mile ride and that pretty much kicked my ass. I have been jogging quite a bit over the winter so hopefully it isn't such a challenge this year. I have toyed with the idea of joining the century club, but I think I would need to dump my hybrid bike for a road bike. Not sure this will happen by this years ride or by June or not. I will do at least the 50 mile ride though.

Any donations in my name or my team members names would be greatly appreciated. I lead our team last year with donations just shy of $800. I hope to surpass that figure this year.

Also, if you are interested in participating in the ride yourself, shoot me an email.

Tour De Dad

Sun, 03 Oct 2004 23:22:36 GMT

On Saturday, I attended the SemiAnnual Tour De Dad bike ride. Actually bike ride is a bit strong, it was really a social event where bikes were used as the transportation means. This event was hosted by a friend's(Hans) father, John Gerwitz. Hans referred to this event as a "pub crawl on wheels". I'd have to agree. The focus of this social outing was to expose St Louis County dwellers to the jewel's of St Louis city. This particular gathering focused on Forest Park specifically. Having grown up in the city near Ted Drewes, I am very familiar with many of it's attractions including Forest Park. I had a great time, learned a bit of history about the park, and met some great people.

Tour De Cure

Mon, 21 Jun 2004 02:45:01 GMT

Yesterday I had the pleasure of participating in the Tour De Cure bike ride to help raise money for diabetes and lower my self esteem. I say that because I was wiped after doing the 50 mile ride. It was a great time and I look forward to next years ride. I would also like to thank Envision for the fantastic jersey's that they supplied. My only gripe was that I wasn't able to hang around after the ride at Raging Rivers.

Id also like to say thanks to everyone that made donations to the diabetes foundation in my name. It's a worthwhile cause and I really appreciate the help. My team, Velocity, raised over $4K dollars.