Show-Me Kings

The topic was the Mitchell report and illegal drug use in Major League Baseball. The question came on ESPN radio Friday morning from Sean Salisbury to Peter Gammons: Should fans feel betrayed by the players mentioned in the report? Part of Gammons’ answer — do NFL fans feel betrayed by Shawne Merriman?

“It’s a good point,” conceded Salisbury. Yes, it is. Let’s explore. (more)

The trade of Jim Edmonds to the San Diego Padres for minor league prospect David Freese answers some questions about the 2008 St. Louis Cardinals and raise several more. This move, along with David Eckstein’s signing with the Toronto Blue Jays, is clear evidence the Cardinals are finally cutting ties with the past and accelerating the rebuilding process.

I like the move from this perspective: trading a former All-Star center fielder for a guy who doesn’t even crack the Padres top 20 prospects list is a concession that giving Edmonds an extra year on his contract was a serious mistake. (more)

First of all, congratulations to the Oklahoma Sooners. They beat Missouri in Norman. They soundly defeated the Tigers Saturday night in San Antonio. They have bigger, stronger and faster athletes — just better football players. They wore down Mizzou in the second half. They were better coached and better prepared. Coach Bob Stoops and staff showed Gary Pinkel and crew, that while they’ve made considerable progress up the mountain, there’s a long way to go to get to the summit. (more)