Randy Wolf would have fit the Cardinals pitching rotation nicely. He is a veteran lefty who eats up innings when healthy.
Although he has won more than 11 games just twice in his career, he could have done nice things under pitching coach Dave Duncan. Had the Cards asked for Tipsheet’s wish list for this offseason, Wolf would have been on it – along with another late-winning reliever like Rafael Soriano of the Braves.
Other than prospect Jaime Garcia, the Cards have no lefties to mix into their rotation. This team weakness cost them against the left-leaning teams like the Phillies last season.
But the price of competent starting pitching is running high again in his marketplace. Wolf was able to draw a three-year, $29.75 million offer from the Brewers.
Milwaukee is desperate to get back into the National League Central race. Beyond Jeff Suppan (earning $12.5 million in the final year of his contract), the Brewers lack experience in their rotation.
Left-handed pitchers are hard to find. Hence that team’s willingness to overpay Wolf.
ESPN.com’s Keith Law had this take: “Signing Wolf alone does not give the Brewers an adequate rotation for contention in 2010, and if this ends up as the only major addition they make to their starting staff, it may end up being a hard contract to justify because it pushes them to respectability rather than into a playoff hunt. Wolf becomes the de facto No. 2 starter behind Yovani Gallardo, but behind them sit three starters who project as worse than league average, with only Manny Parra bringing any real upside to the table. The Brewers should again have one of the league’s better offenses; they gave up some offense to maintain their defense and save money in center field, though, and will trade some more offense to gain defense and save money at shortstop, but they’ll have to continue to improve their run prevention to make up for what they’ll lose in run scoring.”
Wolf was hoping to stay with the Dodgers, given his LA roots. But the Dodgers didn’t even offer him arbitration, fearing that he would use that route to stay in Southern California.
Team executives insist the divorce of owners Frank and Jamie McCourt won’t lower the team’s 2010 payroll, but general manager Ned Colletti is keeping a lower profile in the free agent marketplace. He opted not to join the bidding on Wolf.
“L.A., I had a great experience out there,” Wolf told the Los Angeles Times. “Guys on the team were great. I got to win with those guys and battle with those guys. But I don’t live in a cave. I’ve read plenty of things how there are plenty of issues going on with the team right now. It’s not my job to speculate on these things. But if these things are hurting the club, it’s unfortunate because it’s a historic ballclub.”
MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
Questions to ponder while wondering if Ty Conklin is going to get few more starts during the week ahead:
- Did Mizzou learn some hard lessons during that loss at Oral Roberts?
- Have the Rams cornered the market on elite Division II quarterback prospects?
- How can you not pull for Kurt Warner to win the NFL’s MVP Award this season?
- Mack Brown as done a nice job at Texas, but is any college football coach worth $5 million per year?
- Will the Capitals ever convince high-scoring Alexander Ovechkin to quit taking reckless runs at other players?
- Will anybody recognize John Daly now that he weighs less than 200 pounds?
OCHOCINCO HAS NO FINANCIAL PLAN
After have one fine after another deducted from his checks, shouldn’t Chad Ochocino chill some of those on-field antics?
“I play to have fun, he told the Cincinnati media this week. “I don’t play for the dollar amount. Maybe that’s why they take so much money, because they think we play for the money. Maybe they’ll get the point — I play to have fun, not for the money.”
PILING ON CHARLIE WEIS
This was kind of mean, but not totally uncalled for.
QUIPS ‘R US
Here is what some of America’s leading sports pundits have been writing:
Jeff Schultz, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin: “This might be a good time for Kiffin to dial it down just a little. It’s turning into quite a humiliating period for Tennessee. Last month, three freshman players – all prized recruits – were arrested and charged with armed robbery outside of a Knoxville convenience store. (Two of those players were released from the program. Another was reinstated after having charges dropped.) The incident gave fuel to Kiffin’s critics, in part because one of the charged players, Nu’Keese Richardson, was at the core of Kiffin’s baseless charge that Florida coach Urban Meyer was cheating in recruiting. Now comes this. The NCAA believes Kiffin has become overly aggressive in using female hostesses to help lure recruits. Almost every school uses coeds as campus guides during a recruit’s official on-campus visit. But not every school – or any school – has had them travel 200 miles to a high school game in South Carolina to visit the players, as reportedly was the case here.”
Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times: “It doesn’t add up. The Big Ten has sent a second team to a BCS bowl game nine times. The Pac-10 has sent a second team twice. The Pac-10 was 5-0 in bowls last year; the Big Ten was 1-6. The Pac-10 is 9-4 overall in BCS games; the Big Ten is 8-11.”
Steven Rosenbloom, ChicagoTribune.com: “Plaxico Burress applied for a work-release furlough, but New York prosecutors will fight it because he has served only two months of his two-year sentence for carrying an unlicensed gun that went off. Bummer. Burress would be a great fit for the Bears —a prisoner playing for a receiving corps that is criminally ill-equipped.”
Mike Freeman, CBSSports.com, on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers: “He’s mostly ignored in the media’s MVP discussion because many in the press are in the bag for Brett Favre. So many writers have fetishized their Favre slobbering, they refuse to see just how great — yes, great — Rodgers is currently playing. After all, if you’re fetishizing Favre, how could you dare say anything nice about Rodgers?”
MEGAPHONE
“I’m gonna look like Dick Vitale by the time the season is over. Or I’ll be solid gray and look like Bobby Cremins. We do stuff and I’m like, ‘What are you doing?’ We got up and one point and celebrated like we won the national title. Are you kidding? I told them, ‘Guys, if we don’t start getting better, we’re setting ourselves up.’”
Kentucky coach John Calipari, on trying to harness his young-but-talented team.
ELSEWHERE ON STLTODAY.COM
Why are the Blues having so much trouble scoring goals?
The Big 10 sucks so bad that Missouri could actually win an outright conference title there.
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on the Ochocinco thing, can someone explain why the sombrero and pancho? what does that have to do with anything? btw, college coaches, Pitino sent Tiger a nice thank you note.
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I did NOT hear that…but I did see where Carlos Vela signed with Arsenal. That dude has MAD skillz!!
It really sucks about the number of players being hurt for the Black Cats. Guess their name is becoming a jinx. I mean, 8 players hurt or suspended…..they should handle Portsmouth though. (Maybe they wouldn’t be in the basement if they’d pay their players on time, eh??)
If they keep the pressure off Chelea’s Gael Kakuta that kid would rule the pitch…right?? He’s nails!
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Yeah, Tim, you better watch it.
You cannot LOL at some one else’s post. Or, god forbid, agree with someone else. YIKES?
No, you gotta rip a post apart. Crap on it. Find the smallest detail, call someone a moron, tell them to move out of their mom’s basement etc.
That’s what Forums are for.
Not entertainment or a break from work.
Sniff.
Okay…set up….Anyone read that Donovan might go on loan to Everton? I think it’s a great move. He needs to keep playing. And the Premiership might help sharpen his skills and elbows for the Cup.
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Sailor, fortunately my genetics will most likely prohibit my kids from ever dealing with that piece of crap. (Whoops, I’m sorry, is that man love by responding to Sailor’s post? I’ve really got to watch that…)
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Bernie Miklasz has some buddy that works the draft room for the Sporting News. He thinks even though this Mike Reilly kid the Rams signed has a weak arm, he might be a good fit for the right offense. Perhaps an offense that never throw’s the ball downfield? Prepare yourselves, Rams Fans, for years of the 5-10 yard dink passes that are, oh so excting!
Tim, if you ARE going to get your kid involved in college sports, you may as well hire Scott Boras as his agent, I mean mentor, to be sure he gets paid accordingly.
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I can not pull for Warner to win MVP because 1)there are a number of better candidates, 2)call me old-fashioned, but once someone leaves my team, they’re just another guy wearing the wrong colors, and 3)he plays for Bill Bidwell.
I get so tired of the unabashed idolatry of Warner by St. Louisans. He was great, as was the Greatest Show on Turf, and that team will always be remembered fondly by me. But he’s moved on, so should everyone else.
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1-0. Wow. Just when you think the Blues will lay an egg, Conklin stands on his head and shuts out all 4,387 shots.
Not trying to look a gift horse….but we just seem a gear slower than the other NHL teams. I mean, great goal by Boyes. Really good passing to set it up. But after that….kinda third gearish. Just can’t push it. Been seeing a lot of the Hawks and the Bruins. It’s a faster, better level. I know our Offense is struggling mightily, but our D seems to lack the skill for breakout/support.
Can never walk away from the Blues, but man it feels like this year will be like too too many others–middle of the pack and a playoff fold.
Sorry for the bummer theatre.
Maybe Hull & Co. will lace them up for the Flames and rekindle some early ’90’s magic (without the bad Hull & Oates video…)
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Hey Tim, are you sleeping with S.W.? You sure do kiss his butt enough…
Keep up with the man friendly posts!
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LOL…nice comment about the Dodge dealer S.W.
Sorry to Kurt Warner, but there is no way in hell he is going to win the MVP this year. Not even close, too many people ahead of him.
Which is more surprising, that the Blues shut out the Wings, or that they held a 1-0 lead for 58 minutes? Nice job last night at the Joe.
The more I read about college coaches, the less I would ever want my kids to play college atheletics…
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Will someone let me know when they figure out this Blues team?
Hey Chad, if you willing to take fine after fine from the league with no problem, how about throwing a little extra in there for the local Dodge dealer?
Don’t worry “Coach” Calipari, even if you do somehow win a national title I am sure the NCAA will find plenty of reasons to strip that right along with your other Final Four appearances. Look no further than UK to find out what is wrong with not only college basketball but all of college sports.
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