After getting swept by the Colorado Rockies in the season-opening series, it appears the St. Louis Cardinals might not be as tough as last year’s title-contending bunch. Mark McGwire and Jim Edmonds have already been sidelined by injuries with the season only one week old. McGwire, whose injury seems to be more serious, will not be able to play in back-to-back games for a while. The team has been relegated to starting rookie Albert Pujols in right field and Craig Paquette at first base.
These are most likely the least of the Cardinals’ worries, however. With the exception of ace Darryl Kile, the rest of the starting pitching staff remains questionable. Andy Benes has not regained his form of two years ago, Matt Morris still isn’t all the way back from Tommy John surgery, and despite Rick Ankiel’s solid start on Sunday, his control problems still have everyone worried. Nobody would dare bring up the name Mark Wohlers around this clubhouse.
The Cardinals, however, have known since spring training that they have been walking on a thin line. McGwire, who was shut down for most of last season, has had a considerable amount of pain since offseason knee surgery, while Edmonds was categorized as injury-prone during his time with the Anaheim Angles. While Pujols (.348, 1 HR, 8 RBI’s) has stepped in admirably through the first week of the season, and Paquette filled in nicely last season, they are not long-term solutions. Thus the pressure shifts to the pitching staff, who has gotten rocked early on, albeit in Coors Field.
This brings us to one guy who should be able to pick up the load himself: J.D. Drew. Drew, who demanded to play outside of Philadelphia, has recieved the contract he whined and cried about for over a year. Well, now it’s his turn to earn the money he felt he so rightfully deserved. Not surprisingly, however, Drew has had a slow start, batting .235 with 1 HR and 3 RBI through the first week of the season. If a player like Drew can demand he’s worth millions of dollars on the market, he should be able to pick up the slack for a lackluster lineup, right? J.D., it’s time to earn that money.

Saints running back Ricky Williams is considering a comeback in baseball-with the Texas Rangers. The former University of Texas star played minor league ball within the Class A New York-Penn League in 1998. Perhaps the signing of A-Rod has enticed more than just fans to come out to the ballpark. Following in the likes of Deion Sanders, Brian Jordan, and Bo Jackson, Ricky will soon realize not everyone can hit like Nomar and Derek.

 Shawn Kemp’s season in Portland is over after the former All-Star checked himself into a drug rehabilitation center. The 31-year-old’s cocaine addiction came as a surprise to many. Yet the forward’s level of play has tapered off in the past two years. Reporting 20 pounds overweight with Cleveland two years ago, Kemp was traded to Portland in the offseason, where he has rode the pine for much of the year.

Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick has an outside chance of landing somewhere other than San Diego, which owns the No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft. While only a handful of clubs including Cincinnati, Dallas, Kansas City, Dallas and Atlanta have been seen at Vick’s workout sessions, the Chargers will consider dealing the pick. ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, who is based in Atlanta, reported the Falcons have a strong interest in acquiring Vick, but are wavering at the thought of trading the combination of four players/picks to move up.

 The Dallas Mavericks added a new member to their roster this past week. What makes him so special? Wang Zhizhi is the first China-born player to suit up in the NBA. Zhizhi made a good impression in front of a sold-out home crowd on Thursday night, as the center totaled six points and three rebounds. More importantly, however, Zhizhi put the Mavericks over the century mark, meaning free chalupas from Taco Bell for everyone in Reunion Arena.

 For the first time in the last eight years, there appears to be a balance of power in Major League Baseball. The NL’s three most powerful teams, the Cardinals, Mets and Braves, all have been vulnerable at the start of the season. Up-and-coming teams, such as the Dodgers, Expos, Astros and Rockies have all caused reason to worry. Over in the AL, busy off-seasons for the Athletics and Rangers have not made an impact as of yet. Instead, it appears the Mariners, Tigers and Blue Jays could all hang around to see a wild-card entry into the playoffs.

Popularity: unranked [?]

 Print This Post

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 10th, 2001 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.