So at my work they have a competition whoever has the most in sales at the end of the day gets a choice between a Albert Pujols autographed ball or a Bob Gibson autographed ball. This has sparked all kind of debate at my work.

Seem like all the older guys want the Bob Gibson and all the younger guys want Albert Pujols. Some are arguing that Bob Gibson is a HOFer today and it is worth more today. While Pujols is one bad injury away from ending his shot at HOF. While the other side is Pujols is the best in first couple years of anyone and it will be worth more in the long run.

Which ball would you choose?

I choose Bob Gibson today.

    Posted on Mon, Dec. 11, 2006   

BaseBrawl of champions at TNA event

Catcher A.J. Pierzynski of the 2005 world champion Chicago White Sox picked a fight with World Series MVP David Eckstein of the 2006 world champion St. Louis Cardinals during the TNA pay-per-view Turning Point on Sunday, Dec. 10 from Universal Studios Orlando.

Pierzynski had a shoving match with Eckstein. Pierzynski's pal Dale Torborg, the strength and conditioning coach for the White Sox and formerly the Demon in WCW, slugged Eckstein's brother, Rick, a minor league coach.

''Dale and I were a little upset that they got the big entrance, yet we just got introduced from the [seats]. Plus, they got the [entrance] music, and we didn't,'' Pierzynski said. ``It was a little disappointing. We got a little jealous, so we took out our frustrations on them.''

Pierzynski and Torborg tore Eckstein's new inspirational children's book, Have Heart, which led to the pull-apart.

''As a kid, I always enjoyed wrestling,'' said Eckstein. ``All that went down. Wow. That was unbelievable. Things got a bit heated with A.J.

``When you step into the ring, you're stepping outside your comfort zone. I can handle playing in front of 45,000 [baseball] fans, but going out in front of the TNA Wrestling fans who always want to see action, I was nervous.''

* TNA Wrestling delivers a distinct brand of high-risk, athletic entertainment.

TNA's roster includes new, fresh talent like A.J. Styles, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, Ron Killings, Chris Sabin, The Austin Ariess, AMW, Abyss, Homicide and recognizable stars such as Kurt Angle, Sting, Christian Cage, Jeff Jarrett, Team 3D, Konnan, Rhino, Kevin Nash, Norman Smiley, Raven, Shane Douglas and others.

TNA features the innovative six-sided ring and the high-flying X Division, as well as concept matches such as Ultimate X, King of the Mountain and Six Sides of Steel.

I actually found something usefull of the ESPN webpage. Check out this link, http://www.inside-edge.com/espn/postseason_06/cardinals_prc_100306.htm .It is a bunch of various stats of Carpenter's start and how they compared to MLB averages. Thought it was pretty interesting.

Blah, Blah, Blah, 300 Characters, Blah Blah Blah

I think we all remember when AP's Trainer got mixed up in all that Jason Grimsley HGH affidavit. Well this is the same affidavit that Clemens and Petitite were on. It turnes on that Chris Mihlfeld is cleared off that list. So in turn no more Pujols HGH worries.

http://www.deadspin.com/sports/baseball/a-deeply-regrettable-wrong-204519.php

Eckstein will be out 3-6 weeks
By Joe Strauss
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
08/26/2006

Cardinals shortstop David Eckstein, his manager and the team's head trainer took turns Friday offering a more conservative timetable of when the All-Star infielder would return from a torn muscle in his side.

An injury the club initially hoped might mend by the time Eckstein became eligible to leave the disabled list probably will sideline him through a significant portion of the team's next trip.

"It's detached from the bone," Eckstein said. "So it's not like I'm going to be tempted to come back too soon. I have to wait and see. But it's definitely there."

"We're calling it three-six weeks. It's the same situation as Albert," head trainer Barry Weinberg said. "We'll see how it progresses. Right now, he's in the final stage of feeling a little bit better, feeling that normal things are normal. But we can't get too aggressive yet."

Eckstein took ground balls before Friday's series opener at Busch Stadium against the Chicago Cubs but said he has not swung a bat since sustaining the injury. Eckstein wouldn't guess when he might pick up a bat.

Team medical supervisor Dr. George Paletta examined Eckstein on Monday in St. Louis. Shortly after findings were relayed to the club, general manager Walt Jocketty moved to sign infielder Jose Vizcaino, whom the San Francisco Giants designated for assignment the previous week.

The Cardinals briefly contemplated replacing Eckstein with outfielder John Rodriguez, but Paletta's examination made it clear the club probably would be without its starting shortstop for several weeks within a tightening pennant race.

"It's the wrong side for a righthanded hitter," manager Tony La Russa said. "That has an impact. When he makes that move (to swing) it's there. He's got a different severity."

Aaron Miles made his sixth start at shortstop in Friday night's series opener against the Chicago Cubs. The addition of Vizcaino allowed La Russa to avoid using second baseman Ronnie Belliard at shortstop or outfielder So Taguchi at second base. The manager had discussed both as contingencies soon after Eckstein was injured Aug. 18 on a third-inning slide into Cubs catcher Michael Barrett.

"It is what it is," La Russa said. "I know he's going to do everything he can to get back as soon as possible."

If Eckstein misses three weeks, his return would come during a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Sept. 7-10. A six-week absence would cost him all but the season's final few games.

The two-time All-Star said he would "definitely push the envelope" to get back but underscored that he wouldn't risk aggravating an injury. Doing so could cost Eckstein the rest of the regular season and jeopardize his availability for any playoffs.

"I will be very antsy, and I will do everything I can to get back," said Eckstein, the Cardinals' last position player to miss a start this season.

Eckstein also admitted Friday that he had not seen the ball as well since suffering a mild concussion against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 15. Eckstein was hitting as high as .330 on May 30 but had struggled to a .213 average since July 15 before the muscle injury.

"I wasn't seeing the ball the way I'd like to see the ball, whatever that was," Eckstein said.

The injury is similar to one that sidelined first baseman Albert Pujols from June 4-23. Pujols' strain, however, occurred on his right side. A tear on the left side is considered more serious because it controls the muscles used to stop the body on a swing or throw.

Reyes has been sent down twice this year. After each time he goes down and Dominates the minor league.

He has had 4 starts after being Sent down twice.

IP: 24.66
H: 20
ER: 6
BB: 4
SO: 24
HR: 3

ERA: 2.19, WHIP: .97, K/9: 8.76 K/BB: 6, HR/AB: 25

Then he gets Called up back to the majors.

IP: 13.66
H: 5
ER: 1
BB: 1
SO: 7
HR: 1

ERA: .66, WHIP: .44, K/9: 4.9 K/BB: 7, HR/AB: 41

So Maybe Tony is just waiting to bring up the Mad Reyes?

Here how Izzy stacks up against the other closers in the league out of 30.

IP: 50.2 - 16/30
ERA: 3.52  19/30 (lower is #1)
SV %: 77%  23/30
K/BB: 1.44 27/30
K/9: 8.27  17/30
WHIP: 1.43 24/30
BA: .214   14/30

This guy makes me just sick. I am going to go look at Loopers numbers cause Izzy is untrustable now.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/closers

I was reading my ESPN the Magazine and came upon an article where Aaron Miles got robbed back in 2000. Here's his story.

"# During 2000 Spring Training in Kissimmee, Florida, where the Houston Astros have their Spring Camp, Miles was returning from dinner, craving sleep before the next morning's practice. As he walked along the second-floor cement balcony to his hotel room, he wasn't worried when he saw his door was wide open. Everyone else on the floor was also a ballplayer, turning the rooms into community socials. Miles took out his contact lenses and went to bed, figuring his roommate would return any minute.

Moments later, the door slammed against the wall, startling Miles. Two men dressed in camouflage and combat boots pointed guns at his head. Only an hour earlier, Miles was sitting at a restaurant with his Uncle Clyde talking about how lucky he was to be living his dream of playing professional baseball. During the next 40 minutes, he became involved in an increasingly desperate drama to save his life.

There was no way I was going to die," Miles said, "without a fight." That is the beauty of Miles, friends say. He confronts challenges with a clenched fist. He doesn't have the God-given talent of Barry Bonds or even Bret Boone. And he certainly doesn't have their physiques.

It was just past 11 p.m. on March 12, 2000. The two gunmen, unbeknownst to Miles, already had subdued five of his teammates (Morgan Ensberg and Keith Ginter were two of them) and a player's wife in the adjacent room. After taking their money and cellphones, the robbers hog-tied their hostages with plastic-twist handcuffs and threw blankets over their heads. Upon hearing Miles turn on the TV through the wall, one of the gunmen declared, "We have some company coming for you guys."

"They were going to get Aaron," said Mike Rose, a catcher in the Astros organization then, and one of the players held captive. "I knew that might be my only chance to do something." Rose, unsure if the gunmen had left because he never heard the door close, struggled to break free. The plastic around his ankles and wrists slowly began to give - "For some reason I remembered my Dad telling me that once you start stretching plastic, don't stop," Rose said.

The shackle finally snapped. Mike Rose quickly ripped off duct tape covering his mouth, shut the door and searched for the phone. He found it under the bed, called the front desk and told them to call police. Within minutes, law enforcement officials swarmed the parking lot. As the gunmen tried to force Miles into the room with the other captives, sirens greeted them. One gunman jumped off the balcony and initially eluded capture.

Alexander Williams, the second gunman, shoved Miles back into the player's room. With Williams holed up with Miles, police quickly shuttled Rose and the other hostages to safety from the other room. For the next 35 minutes, Miles listened as Williams grew more antsy, declaring "that he wasn't going back to jail and would go out shooting."

Miles, a good student who turned down a baseball scholarship to Cal-Berkeley, attempted to calm his nerves, advising Williams at one point to put on his Houston Astros uniform for a disguise in order to walk out safely. "He was still thinking on his feet in a scary situation," said Mike Saunders, the deputy chief of the Felony Bureau of the ninth judicial circuit, who prosecuted the case. "But you can never tell what a rat's going to do when cornered."

Williams, using the gun to get his way, led Miles to the room's picture window. As Williams pulled back the curtain, Miles could make out the gun on his right cheek. Convinced he would never be set free, Miles grabbed the barrel. A violent struggle ensued. Miles secured the weapon. Williams retaliated by jumping on Miles' back. Miles squatted and slammed Williams backward into the wall. The two fell, and with Williams lunging for the gun, Miles screamed for the police to enter the room.

Rose watched nervously as an officer bashed the window with a butt of a shotgun while a second policeman rammed through the door brandishing a pistol. They ordered Williams to surrender. He refused, and with Miles still lying on top of him, the gunman was shot multiple times while grasping for the gun.

Miles raced out of the room and bear-hugged Rose. His mouth was dripping with blood. The muscle in his back was exposed from a bite wound. "It looked like he had been attacked by a pit bull," Rose said. "But I am convinced at that moment, Aaron could have fought Mike Tyson and won."

Left partially paralyzed by the gunshots, Williams, 25, was sentenced to life in prison November 28, 2001, on four counts of armed robbery. Robert Lucas, 21, the getaway driver, is serving 10 years in prison. Richard Cook, 28, believed by Saunders to be the second gunman, agreed to a plea on kidnapping and burglary charges and received a five-year sentence. A fourth accomplice, Patricia Burns, served two years under house arrest. Miles' testimony helped convict Williams and Lucas.

Miles, who missed only one day of practice after the incident, said the experience changed him. Little things stopped bothering him. He approached baseball with less stress. Still, he was concerned he never would make it. He struggled for what seemed like forever in the minors with the Astros because of injuries and inconsistent defense."

I will try to find the Article from the Magazine online

If Ecks injury is more serious that previous than thought before what is the likelly hood that Craig comes to the way of the Cards. My guess is pretty good.

Counsell may rejoin club on Monday
Melvin not saying how playing time at shortstop will be split with Drew

Bob McManaman
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 20, 2006 12:00 AM

SAN DIEGO - Craig Counsell is scheduled to play in one more minor league rehabilitation game today with Class A Lancaster and then likely will be activated from the disabled list on Monday and join the Diamondbacks in San Francisco.

But then what?

Will Counsell immediately reclaim his starting job at shortstop, or will manager Bob Melvin continue to play slick rookie Stephen Drew and slowly work Counsell back into the everyday lineup?

Melvin isn't ready to announce anything, saying, "When he (Counsell) gets here, we'll talk about it."

But when asked how difficult it would be to take Drew - who is hitting .317 through 31 games - out of the lineup, Melvin offered the following:

"Stephen's going to play. Absolutely, Stephen's going to play."

He just wouldn't say how much.

Counsell, who went a combined 2 for 12 in a designated-hitter role for Triple-A Tucson, played shortstop for Lancaster on Saturday. He has been on the disabled list since July 15 with a right rib fracture.

Stats for the Year:

.278/.334/.366/.700 pretty much his career numbers

This is from Bernie off his forum

"This could be a big deal...

At least, Edmonds has a serious post-concussion syndrome...

not in lineup tonite...not sure when he will play again...

could be diabetes, hypoglycemia...other serious illnesses... checking everything.... team concerned.... ran a battery of tests today, including a vision exam.

Edmonds didn't even know -- a day after -- when he came out of the game last night ... he thought it was the second or third inning....can't see very well... had a hard time seeing the ball last night... driving home last night, couldn't see the traffic signs.

Edmonds talked to Strauss about 15 minutes ago... says he's really mystified and troubled.

--B"