(From time to time, we’ll post a short blog entry regarding a current topic or something else that catches our fancy. It might be something trivial or something that really makes us wonder what the hell is going on.)

We’ve long had reservations about the anonymous hockey blogger known as “Eklund”.

White flags are always raised with us when people make claims about things they know that the public isn’t typically privy to gathering.  The anonymity. The “sources”. The breaking news that he delivers.  The contract negotiations. The rumors and speculation. All raise suspicion when perusing the Internets (ourselves included as we read his site occasionally to see what’s going on, but it’s mostly for entertainment purposes).

Hell, we wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t trust us with information that we’ve passed along because it’s the nature of the beast when posting information anonymously.

More after the jump »

(From time to time, we’ll post a short blog entry regarding a current topic or something else that catches our fancy. It might be something trivial or something that really makes us wonder what the hell is going on.)

It’s that time of year: the MLB non-waiver deadline trading extravaganza!

We here at The Buried Lead will attempt to post the latest and greatest acquisition and rumors that run across our desk in the next few hours, so there won’t be any other news posts unless it really, really is warranted.  This post will regularly updated, with a timestamp in parenthesis.

So without further ado, the fun begins after the jump…

More after the jump »

(From time to time, we’ll post a short blog entry regarding a current topic or something else that catches our fancy. It might be something trivial or something that really makes us wonder what the hell is going on.)

Once upon a time, we couldn’t wait for the Tour de France to begin as we saw the race as one of the most grueling, demanding singular achievements an athlete could put themselves through over the course of a month’s time on a daily basis.

Now, it’s become a complete and utter farce as the Rabobank team removed Danish cyclist Michael Rasmussen from the Tour for repeatedly missing Tour-mandated drug testing and then lying about his whereabouts to team officials before the Tour began to avoid out-of-competition testing.

The ruse? Rasmussen claimed that he was with his wife in Mexico — she’s of Mexican descent — but he was actually in Italy working with a physician. Rasmussen missed four mandatory tests in the last 18 months and is also under investigation for shipping banned blood products in 2002.
Wait, it gets better: another rider got the boot on Wednesday.

More after the jump »

Back in the back
Of a Cadillac
Number one with a bullet, I’m a power pack
I’m in a bang
With a gang
They’ve got to catch me if they want me to hang

–AC/DC, Back in Black, Back in Black

9. Golfers enjoy juice with their cornflakes. While in Scotland for the Open Championship (British Open), golf legend Gary Player claimed that he knows of at least one golfer that has used steroids and is pushing golf organizations to move quickly toward a random drug-testing plan.

Don’t be so shocked at the thought.

The common misconception is steroids make you more muscular; they don’t. They help aid your body in recovering from extensive, strenuous activities like weight lifting. In some golfer’s cases, it’s evident that the finger wouldn’t point in their direction because of their physique. However, a guy that’s rotund would have the ability to recover from a long day of walking and swinging on a golf course.

It’s not too, too far-fetched.

More after the jump »

Tony La Russa at I70 Clinic (YouTube)

Bernie Miklasz of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote a rather scathing column on St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa in Thursday’s editions of the paper.  La Russa’s reputation has taken several shots this season — from the DUI arrest in Jupiter, Fla., during spring training to his handling of his All-Star roster late in last week’s game by not using his own player (Albert Pujols) as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning with the NL rallying — that seemingly has continued to wear on the future Hall of Fame manager.

It should be noted that earlier this season, Miklasz and Tony La Russa had a similar confrontation regarding a tongue-in-cheek piece that a colleague of his wrote mocking the Chicago Cubs’ 99-years of futility.  La Russa felt that the article disrespected the Cubs organization and the manager instituted a three-day moratorium on talking to anyone from the Post-Dispatch.

[youtube g64Ae58SvEk]

Miklasz took issue with the manager’s handling of the media this week, suggesting that his berating of a FOX Sports reporter during a post-game press conference on Tuesday was a bush league move and that anger should be directed at his players, not the media.

More after the jump »

Remember when Dan Patrick made his announcement on July 9th that he’d be leaving the network after 18-years and that his last show would be on August 17th and that the final week would be a look back with special guests and tributes?

Yeah we did, too.

More after the jump »

(From time to time, we’ll post a short blog entry regarding a current topic or something else that catches our fancy. It might be something trivial or something that really makes us wonder what the hell is going on.)

A quick hit that’s been lost in the shuffle of St. Louis manager Tony La Russa’s apparent bone-headed move in not playing Albert Pujols — the disgustingly performed national anthem by San Francisco native Chris Isaak and some guy we never heard of Kenney Johnson.

[youtube PR3Mp063QY4]

Was Jefferson Starship or Huey Lewis not available?

We’re glad you guys went through that sound check without realizing you two don’t really know the lyrics to the nation’s anthem.

(From time to time, we’ll post a short blog entry regarding a current topic or something else that catches our fancy. It might be something trivial or something that really makes us wonder what the hell is going on.)

During Tuesday’s All-Star Game, the National League was threatening with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the ninth and the score 5-4. Alfonso Soriano has just hit a two-run home run on a 3-1, 95 MPH fastball off Seattle’s J.J. Putz after two outs were recorded and Dmitri Young of the Washington Nationals reached on an infield single (questionable call) that Baltimore second baseman Brian Roberts booted.

Everyone in America was expecting St. Louis’ Albert Pujols to step up to the plate and pinch-hit for Arizona second baseman Orlando Hudson or Fightin’ Phillies centerfielder Aaron Rowand after Putz and Los Angeles’ Francisco Rodriguez ran into some ninth inning trouble, walking three hitters between them (Putz walked one; Rodriguez two). Pujols was the last position player left on the National League’s bench after manager (and Pujols’ St. Louis skipper) Tony La Russa had exhausted all options.

But La Russa didn’t tap Pujols to come into the game. Rowand hit for himself and eventually lined out to the right fielder — Toronto’s Alex Rios — to end the game.

More after the jump »

We wrote a long-winded piece on Friday that described the possibility that the St. Louis Rams may’ve found a new broadcast home on 1380 ESPN (KSLG) in St. Louis.  Apparently, we mis-connected some dots like a kindergartner at a doctor’s office with a Highlights magazine.

As it turns out, the station has decided to switch up their daily programming and will have a sister station — 1490 Fox Sports Radio (WFFX) –  that will air all FOX Sports Radio programming.  The move will subtract the nationally syndicated Jim Rome radio program from KSLG and will bump it to the newly created station.

They will also move the Gateway Grizzlies to the newly created network (we were partially right on that part).

To fill the void left by Jim Rome’s departure, Colin “Schrutebag” Cowherd will be heard everyday for the full three hours till noon and “The ITD Roll Home with Bernie Miklasz and Randy Karraker” will expand an hour and will run to 7 PM daily.

For our mistake, we will sit in the corner till tomorrow morning and repent for our mistake.  Please forgive us.

Radio station 1380 ESPN (KSLG-AM) has begun running promos on their airwaves, teasing of a major announcement that’ll impact station programming.

The announcement is set to take place at 5:00 PM ET on their station Monday.

According to our sources — and varying Internet rumors — the big news might very well be that the station has landed the National Football League’s St. Louis Rams radio rights for the upcoming season and beyond.  The Rams are currently free agents after their contract with their current broadcast home, 550 KTRS, has expired.

More after the jump »

Looking around the transaction sheet on the NHL page this morning, it reads like a Paris Hilton shopping spree as NHL owners and general managers forgot to keep the line on salaries this time around.

Just think: NHL owners were nearly claiming poverty prior to what would have been the 2004-2005 hockey season, stating that salary escalation would be of great detriment to the future of the league. In cementing their stance, the owners held firm till the following July of 2005 when both sides agreed to instituting a salary cap.

Let’s take a gander at day one of the free agency signing period…

More after the jump »

I won’t repeat myself again
I will not repeat myself again
It’s another promise d.o.a.
And despite my every hope there is no truth
Behind my best intentioned oath

– Toad the Wet Sprocket, Come Down, Coil

9. Argentines take their soccer very, very seriously. Argentine soccer fans are known to have a reputation to be a bit surly at times. During the 2006 World Cup, enterprising Argentine hooligans offered their services to teach soccer fans on how to properly “participate” vociferously during matches.

More after the jump »

(From time to time, we’ll post a short blog entry regarding a current topic or something else that catches our fancy. It might be something trivial or something that really makes us wonder what the hell is going on.)

So Craig Leipold, current owner of the Nashville Predators of the NHL, has reversed course and decided that Jim Balsillie isn’t the right person to take his financially hemorrhaging hockey club off his hands.

Instead, William “Boots” Del Biaggio is the new chosen one.  Del Biaggio comes into the picture after practically begging anyone who would listen at the NHL Draft last week that he wanted to buy a team (and probably move them) and somehow snares a club after having offered $50 million less than Balsillie’s proposal to take on the organization.  The funny thing is, “Boots’” intentions are just the same as Balsillie’s: moving the club to another city.

More after the jump »

It’s hard to believe, but it has been five years since the St. Louis sports community lost the voice that spanned generations of sports fans — John Francis “Jack” Buck. Buck, who was suffering from the effects of a long illness related to Parkinson’s disease, died at the age of 77 in a St. Louis-area hospital on June 18, 2002.

Back in those days, we wrote for a little online sports magazine called National Pastimes. We composed a story about our attendance to the memorial service that was held at Busch Memorial Stadium II just a few days later.
More after the jump »

(From time to time, we’ll post a short blog entry regarding a current topic or something else that catches our fancy. It might be something trivial or something that really makes us wonder what the hell is going on.)

And it ended with a stroke of a bell.

In a sound reminiscent of “It’s a Wonderful Life” when the angel Clarence earned his wings, the award-winning HBO series “The Sopranos” came to an end. After seven seasons that spanned a large portion of the trials and tribulations of the family Soprano, an unsatisfying (to some) conclusion to their story left many a viewer a bit befuddled.

More after the jump »

(From time to time, we’ll post a short blog entry regarding a current topic or something else that catches our fancy. It might be something trivial or something that really makes us wonder what the hell is going on.)

Rodriguez, McDonald share words in Yankees win (AP/Y! Sports)

After having a big night on the town with a lovely, shapely blonde, Alex Rodriguez decided to have a little fun on the base paths.

With two outs in the ninth, New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada skied one into the Toronto night towards short left-field in the vicinity of Toronto third baseman Howie Clark.
More after the jump »