FanNation - The Republic of Sport

- I know it's in good sportsmanship. I respect Gary Pinkel for doing it. I know it's to protect the first-string players from injury. But sometimes, just sometimes, I really, really want to see the first-team play the full game and just blow some records out of the water. I know it's totally unrealistic, but just think of the projection over a full game:

- Mizzou scored 42 in just around a quarter and a half. That projects to 112 points.

- Chase Daniel was 16 of 17 for 245 yards and 3 TDs. That would project to 653 yards, 9 TDs, and 43-45 passing.

 - Chase Patton and Blaine Gabbert both looked pretty good. Patton could probably lead the team to a pretty decent record if (God forbid) Daniel went down. Gabbert obviously still needs time to adjust, but he did respectably throwing, and that 30 yard run he had was comforting to see.

 - One thing my friends kept asking me was why a lesser team would agree to play a game like that. Simple: $$$. SEMO got $250,000 for the game. Other schools get larger amounts for similar blowouts.

- The Cardinals keep teasing us with signs of their potential. If only they could remain more consistent. This coming series hosting the Cubs will decide the fate of the Cardinals this season. If we can sweep, we'll keep the hope alive. Anything less, even two out of three, will effectively drop us out, unless Milwaukee has a massive FUBAR.

- There is absolutely no reason Pujols can't win the MVP, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger award this year. Show me anyone who matches up with him consistently across the board - average, OBP, slugging, HR, RBI, game winning hits, walks, fielding percentage, etc. He's done as much as anyone to win games for his team, and the scary part is September is historically one of his strongest months.

-Oh Wainwright, why did you have to be hurt for two months this season? Imagine if he'd been healthy and pitching lights-out the entire year and we had a shored-up bullpen. Hypothetically, a 100-win season wouldn't have been out of the picture.

 I know, I know, and if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle. But still. If.

- The more I see of Felipe Lopez, the more I think he'll be our starting 2B next year. I'll trade 3-4 more errors a year for the increased pop he offers over Kennedy and Miles.

- Still not convinced Dave Duncan's the best pitching coach in the game? Look at our top four starter's records:

Kyle Lohse 13-6, 3.76 ERA

Todd Wellemeyer 12-6, 3.74 ERA

Braden Looper 12-11, 4.09 ERA

Adam Wainwright 9-3, 2.85 ERA

- Rams game? What Rams game? There was no Rams game. NOTHING BAD HAPPENED.

- I think on Sundays I'm just going to watched my taped edition of Super Bowl XXXIV.