BOSTON, MA – If you recall, the Cardinals ended last season on a real downer by losing Game 7 of the National League Championship Series to the Giants in the rain, 9-0. This post-season the Cardinals found themselves playing in the rain again and, yes, the score in this game was also 9-0. This time the Cardinals beat the Dodgers to punch their ticket to the 2013 World Series.
How did they get there? This was a team that had 20 players making their Major League debut this season. This was a team that lost its closer, its number two starter and its shortstop before the season started. Once underway they lost another starter in Jamie Garcia, and yet they found a way to win. So much winning that the Cardinals had the best record in the National League.
Now they are facing a team in the Boston Red Sox that has the same record and also took a tough road to get here. This could be a must-watch series as these two teams have so much in common. Do you really care what the rest of the country is thinking when your team is playing? Play ball!
Mizzou in top five
This was the make-or-break year for Mizzou and Gary Pinkel. An injury-riddled season last year saw seven offensive linemen miss playing time. A confusing offensive mindset and off-field issues nearly did the current Tiger regime in. As 2013 rolled around, the sharks were in the water waiting for the first drop of blood.
Not so fast, my friends. The Tigers now find themselves with a 7-0 record with November just around the corner. Throw out the blood donor wins and Missouri has beaten some good teams so far, at home and on the road.
Losing quarterback James Franklin was a blow, but many wanted him out as the anointed savior Matty Mauk was ready to take over. Mauk had a god game against a good Florida team last week. So did the Mizzou defense, as well as its offensive line. Yes, folks, football is a team sport, despite what the talk show hosts tell you.
Yet they are not out of the woods, as there are some dangerous teams still on the schedule. Remember, this is the SEC, where the middling to lesser teams can still create an upset. In the meantime, 8-0 would sound nice this weekend after South Carolina.
Rams in trouble
Now that Sam Bradford is done for the season with a knee injury, just what are the Rams going to do? There is no real quarterback answer on the current roster, despite what they tell you, and there is no Kurt Warner in town. How is a Jeff Fisher team this unprepared, undisciplined and physically overwhelmed? The offense has been a head-scratcher, with a feeble running attack and a conservative passing game that has been further hamstrung by penalties and dropped passes. The Rams organization is challenged with trying to remedy a pattern that has become chronic, no matter who the coach is.
Name change game, again
Here we go. The annual movement to have the Washington Redskins change their name. The usual result: not going to happen. I am no longer amused by the TV media rushing out to the local bar to ask the white Redskin fans, “Should the team change its name?” and they all say no.
The Redskins organization is just following the tradition established by original owner George Preston Marshall, who defied the NFL in refusing to have a black player on the roster. Marshall was considered one of the greatest bigots in sports – and, by the way, that’s a long list.
But when it comes to enforcing racial sensitivity, it appears that Native Americans do not have a loud enough voice. One has to wonder: If Native Americans had a major financial impact on the team and the league, would the outcome be different?
Current owner Daniel Snyder says he believes in tradition – a tradition that includes a demeaning mascot name that Native Americans rightly resent. Still, he has been steadfast on the notion that there will be no name change. This name change thing will continue until the league becomes aggressive with Snyder. Don’t hold your breath – this is the NFL.
Grambling walkout
Grambling football made ESPN this week. It was not one of the plays of the week, nor were they on the losing end of a lopsided defeat. The players were trying to right a wrong. The players were playing under substandard conditions, the team was 0-7 and legendary coach and former NFL player Doug Williams was fired earlier this year. The players had had enough, so someone stood up and said, “Enough.”
In the “me” society of sports today, seldom will you see people band together to fix something. These players did not walk out and forfeit a game because it was going to turn their season around, but they did it to save black college football – there are no lavish scholarship programs, no multi-million-dollar TV deals, no posh facilities – as we know it.
The Grambling administration was about to miss the boat until these young men said they had had enough. The school had no choice but to listen if they want to continue to field a football team. These young men, who are not destined to play pro ball on Sundays but will have a chance to become contributors to their society and community, should be commended. Their losing season will still be a long one, but in the end they may have won a bigger battle.
