In giving us a tip that the new Jay-Z album is getting good reviews, The Big Lead points to a review in Rolling Stone.

The album, American Gangster is inspired by the new film of the same name, and the magazine gives it rave reviews.

In breaking down the album, Rolling Stone gives us a few examples of how Jay-Z got back to the lyrical style that made Jay one of the all-time greats. One of them was this:

"I need a personal Jesus, I'm in depeche mode/They say it's celestial, it's all in the stars/It's like Tony La Russa on how you play your cards."

Obviously, Jay is a very intelligent man, and astute baseball fan. But don't fret, Cubs fans. I'm sure Will Smith will drop a Lou Piniella reference in his next album.

If there's one thing I've learned about St. Louis sports fans while growing up and living here, it's this: winning isn't enough. If you don't do it their way, you'll never be accepted.

Just ask Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, who has never been fully espoused in St. Louis. After leading an 83 win team to a World Series victory last season, you would think that the entire city would, at long last, embrace him. It hasn't happened. Unbelievably, there were/are fans (message board types) who refuse to appreciate the championship, saving their joy for the day LaRussa manages his last Cardinals game.

This season, with every starting position player and their two best pitchers being injured, the Cards were remarkably in the N.L. Central race in September before bowing out. Still, calls for LaRussa's ouster were being hailed in June and July.

On the message board Cards Clubhouse, this is but a very small sample of what was being said at that board about him mere months after leading the team to a World Series title:

"He has wore out his welcome in my mind and I wouldnt mind seeing him being fired tomorrow ... Scott Rolen hates and Now I and Albert Pujols hate you."

"He's been making poor management decisions just like that for the last year and a half."

"In my mind, he never was a great manager, the players made him look great. Now, that he doesn't have the players, his 'coat of armor' is very thin, or never was there. Subject at hand!.. Fire the guy..."

"La Russa only wins on talent, anyone could do better then him, he over manages, and it hurts him."

Would you like to know why St. Louisans don't like Tony LaRussa? It's simple, really. There are two reasons.

1) His use of bench players. LaRussa will often sit a regular and play a bench player if he has superior career numbers against that night's starting pitcher. This drives fans here nuts, for reasons known only to their them. A regular could be hitting .022 against a certain pitcher, and a reserve .734, and if LaRussa started the player hitting .734, it's an outrage.

But that's not the main reason. The main reason fans here don't like LaRussa is this:

2) He's not Whitey Herzog.

The same Whitey Herzog who is the epitome of a gutless quitter. 80 games into the 1990 season, the Cardinals had a record of 33-47 ... and Herzog quit, because he couldn't hack it anymore.

Five seasons previous, Herzog got himself ejected from game 7 of the World Series because he was still angry at a call from Game 6. He went into the game unprepared, unfocused and killed his team by choosing to blame the umpire, Don Denkinger, instead of moving on:

"The Cardinals made their frustrations clear throughout the game. ABC television cameras caught Herzog screaming and belittling Denkinger from the Cardinals' dugout throughout the contest ... Herzog even went so far as to directly tell Denkinger that had he gotten "the call" right in Game 6, the Cardinals wouldn't have been subjected to a seventh game in the first place."

Does anyone believe for one second LaRussa would do this? After Detroit's Kenny Rogers blantantly cheated in game 2 of last year's World Series, LaRussa wouldn't let his team dwell on that after they lost. They just moved on to game 3. Herzog couldn't move on, and this was a game 7.

Twice, the White Rat (an appropriate nickname) took his ball and went home like a child. He should forever be remembered for his cowardice in this city, but he's worshipped above any sports figure save Stan Musial.

Which brings us to the St. Louis Rams and their head coach, Scott Linehan. After yesterday's humiliating defeat, 24-3 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it's pretty evident where this season is headed for the team. Straight in the garbage can.

And you can thank Scott Linehan for that. Of course the team is going to suffer after losing Orlando Pace and Tye Hill with injury. But it goes beyond that. The offensive play-calling is beyond drab and confusing, the special teams are horrible and the defense is one of the worst tackling units ever assembled.

Most of this has to fall on Linehan's shoulders. He looks scared and confused. Watch him on the sidelines, and he simply sits there with a blank look on his face, clutching his play sheet like Rain Man when he watches People's Court.

At one point in the game, with the Rams down 14-3 and Tampa Bay getting the ball on offense, the miraculous happened and Linehan started yelling and clapping his hands, doing his best cheerleader routine, trying to light a fire under the team's belly. A few plays later, the Buccaneers scored a touchdown.

But that was a rare moment of Linehan exuberance. Maybe the Bucs scored because Rams players were trying to get their minds around the fact that Scott Linehan is actually a living, breathing soul who has the capability to move his arms, legs and mouth.

And you know what? Rams fans deserve this. They deserve every last bit of the mediocre, excruciatingly boring Scott Linehan era. An era that has explosive offensive players all over the offense who can't score a touchdown. An era that has seen him hire a special teams coach who at this time last year was coaching high school kids.

I make no apologies for the fact that I was, and still am, an enormous Mike Martz supporter. I loved the guy. Because I happen to like guys who say, "Fuck you, I'm doing it my way," no matter what the circumstances are. And that was Martz's greatest, yet most confounding quality. He said, "Fuck you." In fact, he said it so much, he got himself fired.

But despite what mediocre broadcasters like Tom Jackson, comically inept websites like Football Outsiders and ill-informed fans like the ones we have in St. Louis believe, at his core, Martz was a hell of a coach. And facts bear that out.

Martz engineered the greatest offense in football history. His 56 wins are the third most in the history of the Rams franchise, behind Chuck Knox's 57 and John Robinson's 79. And among head coaches who were at the helm for at least 50 games, Martz's .609 winning percentage trails only Knox's .737 and George Allen's .708.

And one thing was for sure: Martz was never boring. He was also extremely tough on his team, and quarterbacks in particular. He was excitable, showed intense emotion and had the kind of arrogance that the media hates and many fans embrace. But not in St. Louis.

Why, you ask? Again, it's quite simple. He didn't do it the St. Louis way. He didn't cry like Dick Vermeil. He threw the ball - a lot. He challenged any plays on the field his players asked him to, citing his trust for them. He would often burn all three of the team's timeouts with time left in the first quarter. And he challenged the fat slobs that represent the media, who would roast him when he didn't give them the answers they wanted. And they wanted traditional, grind it out football, like all media does.

Never mind his record setting offenses, his Super Bowl and playoff appearances, and that he is the only coach in the history of the National Football League to take an 8-8 team on the road and win a playoff game. He didn't do it the way St. Louis fans wanted to - he called timeouts and threw challenge flags, and in St. Louis, you don't call timeouts and throw challenge flags.

Here, you run the ball up the middle and fall down after hitting the back of the offensive lineman. Here, you keep the challenge flag in your pocket. And you damn well better have every timeout at the end of the first half.

So instead of having a coach who takes risks, a coach who says "fuck you," a coach who does what he believes is the right thing to do instead of doing what everybody else wants him to do, we have Scott Linehan.

A boring, unprepared, perplexed, drab, possibly autistic Scott Linehan. And Rams fans, you deserve every ounce of this. Even though the team can't score touchdowns, the special teams are an embarrassment and the defense can't tackle, it sure is better to lose with Linehan than win with Martz, right?

Because at least Scott Linehan loses with all his timeouts left. And Lord knows that's the most important thing in this town.

With the recent news that St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa and outfielder Juan Encarnacion are not happy with one another, it calls to mind some of the great feuds between players and the men in charge of leading them.

- Bobby Knight vs. Neil Reed: During a 1997 basketball practice at Indiana, Knight choked Reed, an incident that was caught on videotape. Knight denied the incident, and in an interview with HBO's Real Sports said, "I don't remember that. I am sure that I have with kids. I will tell you this: There isn't anything that I have done with one kid that I haven't done with a lot of other kids. I have no apologies to make whatsoever for anything that I have done in an attempt to motivate kids."

- Brett Hull vs. Mike Keenan: When Keenan was hired as coach of the St. Louis Blues in 1994, Hull didn't like the idea then, saying, "I find it hard to believe that my personality and his are going to get along too well." Boy, was he right. The two never got along during their time together in St. Louis, and publicly feuded with each other throughout Keenan's tenure. The feud has never simmered. In fact, last winter, Hull had this to say about Keenan: "He's a bad human. He's the NHL's version of Adolf Hitler. He did more bad things to good people than anyone."

- Oregon Women's Basketball coach Jody Runge vs. entire team: In 2001, Runge "resigned" after eight players on the team complained about her coaching manner, and how her communication methods. The eight members met with Oregon Athletic Director Bill Moos, who hired an outside firm to investigate. Soon after, Runge was gone.

- Danny Ainge vs. Robert Horry: Ainge was head coach of the Phoenix Suns, and Horry a star player. After being taken out of a game in 1997, Horry threw a towel in Ainge's face. He was suspended two games and later traded to the Lakers.

- Keyshawn Johnson vs. Jon Gruden: Unhappy with not getting the damn ball enough, Johnson famously screamed at Gruden in 2003 during a Monday Night Football game. Eventually, Tampa Bay deactivated Johnson in the middle of the season, citing his behavior as a distraction to the team. Afterwards, Johnson told ESPN, "I was never Gruden's guy. He never liked me. I told him I'd rather retire than play for him in 2004."

- Billy Martin vs. Reggie Jackson: Probably the most famous of player/coach conflicts, the two Yankees really went at it in Fenway Park in 1977. When Martin took Jackson out of the game for failing to hustle, the two famously went at it in the dugout. When Martin left the Yankees after the 1978 season, he called Jackson, "a born liar."

- Rob Dibble vs. Lou Piniella: In 1992, Piniella and Dibble literally started to fight in the clubhouse after a game. At issue was Dibble indicating Piniella was less than truthful with the flame throwing reliever.

- Latrell Sprewell vs. P.J. Carlesimo: When the two were in Golden State together, Sprewell became infamous for choking his coach at a practice in 1997. After leaving that practice, Spree returned, this time throwing punches at Carlesimo. The two had been bickering for most of the season, and Sprewell never played for the Warriors again. His contract was voided, and he was suspended for the remainder of the season.

Also considered: Larry Brown vs. Allen Iverson, Mike Ditka vs. Jim McMahon, June Jones vs. Jeff George, Kobe Bryant vs. Phil Jackson

If you have never heard of Netball, you probably aren't alone. Played only by women in places such as Australia, the U.K., Jamaica and South Africa, the rules are similar to basketball, with a few exceptions. There is no backboard, the court is divided into three sections, and only two designated people are allowed to shoot.

Except the rules are a little bit different in South Africa. If you play there, you better have a racially diverse team if you want to win:

"Netball South Africa’s ruling works like this: If a team has five whites, then it must also include two blacks while a team of five blacks must have two whites. Teams that stick to these quotas will have six goals added to their score. Now, if a team have at least a 6:1 ratio they will get three extra goals but if they slip to 7:0 they get no goals added to their tally."

Since goals only count for one point, adding six onto a team's score is a fairly big deal.

For those of you who don't know, the reason this rule was conjured is because South Africa has had a few massacres problems with race relations over the country's history. This is an attempt to help remedy that.

Frankly, this seems like a good opportunity for Bud Selig to step up to the plate. If Netball can change the rules to help integrate the team, why can't Major League Baseball?

It' pretty simple. One run added to the game for each African-American player used. Problem solved. Except maybe for the Houston Astros. (Okay, in fairness, they have recalled 33 year old journeyman reliever Stephen Randolph three different times this season. Then again, they've also designated him for assignment twice.)

There may be some sticking points, though. What if a player has one black parent and one white parent? It would be odd for the Yankees to beat the Red Sox 4 1/2 to 4. And can you imagine how many different ways Tony LaRussa could come up with to utilize this rule?

Maybe Americans can learn something from the good people of South Africa. Just imagine Ebony and Ivory playing baseball alongside each other ... and the Latinos ... and Japanese ... and Canadians ... and Koreans.

Recently, St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Bernie Miklasz penned an article questioning the St. Louis Cardinals medical staff, which is led by Dr. George Paletta. He cites three examples in the article: Scott Rolen, Mark Mulder and Chris Carpenter.

Rolen initially hurt his shoulder in a collision at first base. After surgery was done by the Cardinals Doctor Paletta, Rolen tried to return but could be seen wincing and yelling in pain every time he tried to swing. Miklasz writes:

"Rolen declined to have the team doctors take charge of his follow-up care and opted to see the Cincinnati Reds' team doctor, Timothy Kremchek, who recommended season-ending reconstructive surgery, which Kremchek performed. Cardinals management wasn't pleased with Rolen's decision to enlist another team's doctor."

In Mark Mulder's case, there was clearly a problem, as his fastball, which once topped out at 91 or 92 miles per hour, was only hitting 83 or 84 MPH. Eventually, Mulder sought treatment:

"Cardinals docs diagnosed a shoulder impingement and fatigue. Mulder rested, then returned to get clobbered in two late-August starts. Mulder sought outside medical counsel and had rotator cuff surgery performed by the New York Mets' orthopedic surgeon, Dr. David Altchek."

Finally, what was certainly the biggest blow came this summer, as Chris Carpenter had elbow swelling after his first start against the New York Mets on Opening Day. He was told that simple rest and rehab was the answer. That didn't work:

"The problems persisted, and Carpenter had surgery to clear bone spurs from his right elbow. There was no disclosure of ligament damage at the time. After an aborted rehab stint in the minors, Carpenter consulted with Paletta and outside specialists. This week, it was determined that he needed season-ending surgery to repair a defective elbow ligament."

Anybody see a pattern there? If you're slow, I'll help you out.

1. Cardinals get injured
2. Cardinals get medical advice from their team doctors
3. Cardinals do not get better
4. Cardinals go to another team's doctors.

Naturally, LaRussa had a problem with this article, and he addressed the matter yesterday, suggesting a press conference about the Cardinals medical treatment of players. This, according to Post-Dispatch writer Derrick Goold:

"La Russa told the media he suggested the open-book press conference to an unidentified team official, but did not know if one was forthcoming. La Russa strongly defended the medical staff against a column in Sunday's Post-Dispatch."

Not that this should surprise anybody. Miklasz is the same writer LaRussa had a heated exchange with earlier in the season (which you can see in the YouTube video) over a column that ran in the paper poking fun at the Chicago Cubs.

Still, there are other supporters of Dr. Paletta's inside the clubhouse. In the same article, centerfielder Jim Edmonds gushed about him, saying:

"(I) would return here for surgery by Paletta even if I was traded elsewhere. There is no doubt he's the best."

So here we are. In a Cardinals season filled with a DUI arrest, the death of a pitcher, key injuries to multiple players and non-stop rumors about G.M. Walt Jocketty's potential departure, here is yet another odd twist to the 2007 season.

That World Series seems like a loooooooong time ago.

Is there anything funnier or, depending on your perspective, more annoying than an internet message board know-it-all who always has the answers to what ails your team (I mean besides bloggers who know it all)?

You know the type. They continually bring up asinine trade scenarios they think are realistic, like Anthony Reyes and John Rodriguez for Dontrelle Willis or Doug Mientkiewicz and Melky Cabrera for Mark Teixeira. If not discussing trade possibilities, they overreact to every possible misstep that goes along with a 162 game season, screaming to get rid of guys who have endured a slump or bad game.

There are many other offenses that can lead to someone being an internet message board jackoff. In what will hopefully become a weekly feature, we scoured team and fan message boards to bring you the very finest in douchebaggery.

Cards Talk (St. Louis Cardinals): "Tony LaRussa has lost the support of his players and (G.M.) Walt Jocketty has lost the support of the ownership contrary to published reports. It is time for the Jose Oquendo era in the dugout and Ted Simmons return as a GM." - Wtxcardsfan

MLB.com - N.Y. Yankees: "Trade Bobby Abreu for Torii Hunter. This is a good line-up with out Abreu." - Yanks1996

Orioles Hangout: "What about a Daniel Cabrera for A.J. Burnett and Alex Rios deal? Cabrera for Rios is something the BJ's probably wouldn't do, but if we throw in taking all of Burnett's contract, maybe its a possibility.

Burnett would be overpaid, but treat him as essentially the 5th starter, skipping his starts and pushing them back often to help avoid injury and he could put up some pretty good numbers."
- Mackus

Sox Talk (Chicago White Sox): "If I were Kenny Williams, I would trade Konerko, Thome, Mackowiack, Uribe, Pods, Erstad, A.J., Iguchi, Dye, Crede, Buehrle, Contreras, Garland, Vazquez, Jenks, Thornton and MacDougal between now and next season for as many top prospects as I could possibly get.

What could they bring? Maybe 3 top prospects each for Konerko, Garland and Vazquez. 2 each for Mark, Jenks, Thome, Contreras and A.J. One each for the rest. That's 25-30 top prospects."
- WhiteSoxRandy

ESPN.com - Texas Rangers: "If the Rangers continue to win and some of the other teams we need to lose do, then we could be within striking distance in the wild card. We are 13.5 games out as of right now however." - Texasfanatic 10

AOL.com - San Francisco Giants: "Bonds has yet to fail a single roids exam. If you have proof that he has been using the past few seasons, please share it." - ZDoodlsBack

InsideTheIvy.com (Chicago Cubs): "Griffey to Chicago. How about Jacque Jones and either Bob Howry or Scott Eyre."
- Broncosoldier

Dodger Blues: "This fucking San Deigo team has run 20 out of 29 against our sorry asses over the past 15 months. No, this isn't the '27 Yankees. I'm talking Jose Cruz Jr, kevin Kouzmanoff, and Mike Cameron. This Dodger team pretty much urinates on themselves everytime they set sights on those fucking beaners from down south." - JuanPierreIsGay

With the season finale of Lost set to air tonight, we will try to construct a parallel between the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 and the lost baseball team in St. Louis.

The Cardinals have been wandering aimlessly around the National League all season, searching for answers to their miserable start. They were even a footnote in one episode last season, as Jack was shown footage of the Red Sox 2004 World Series victory over the Cardinals by Ben, to prove to Jack that The Others had access to the outside world.

Coincidence? Is anything in Lost a coincidence?

Let's look at the main players in their respective situations, and how they correlate with one another.



Sayid = Albert Pujols

- Both are relenteless, aggressive and feared. During his time as an Iraqi Republican Guard interrogator, Sayid was as handy with electric shock as Pujols is with a baseball bat. Each has also ruined lives. Sayid ruined the life of a woman he once tortured by pouring boiling oil on her arms. Pujols ruined the career of Brad Lidge.


Dr. Jack Shepherd = Tony LaRussa

- Leaders of their respective groups. Both Jack and TLR have had their ups and downs. Jack performed a miracle by performing spinal surgery on a paralyzed woman that enabled her to walk. LaRussa also performed a miracle by leading a group of players who stumbled to 83 wins in the regular season to a World Series victory.


Sawyer = Jim Edmonds

- Each slick and laid-back, Sawyer and Edmonds have both been deported from locations due to their behavior. Sawyer was deported and banned from Australia after a bar fight with a public official. Edmonds was deported (but not banned) from Anaheim for what was believed to be a poor attitude and showmanship on the field.


Hugo = Yadier Molina

- Each is individually the largest and undoubtedly, slowest man in the group.


Jin = Scott Rolen

- Jin and Scott Rolen are remarkably similar in one aspect: Neither speaks the same language as their leaders do. Jin does not communicate well with Jack, just as Rolen does not communicate well with Tony LaRussa. Both have gone long periods of time without speaking to their chiefs.


Mr. Eko = Chris Duncan

- Each big and one of the strongest men in their tribes, both Eko and Duncan have transformed themselves over the course of time. Eko, from a ruthless, drug-dealing gangster into a priest, and Duncan from a bumbling, error-prone outfielder into at least a respectable fielder. One big difference, however, is that Eko was killed on the island. Duncan is still alive.


Charlie = Scott Spiezio

- Charlie and Spiezio are both rockers. Charlie was in the band DriveSHAFT, while Spiezio formerly played in the group Sandfrog. Each is also in love with a very attractive blond. Charlie is in love with Claire, and Spiezio with his insanely hot wife, Jenn (see above).


Kate = Adam Wainwright

- Each is tantalizing with their talents, though Kate's talent is far different from Wainwright's. Both are struggling with a decision as well. Kate must choose between Sawyer and Jack, while Wainwright must decide whether he wants to be a starter or reliever in the major leagues. Outside influences will factor into each of their decisions.

(Luhnow - No pic available)
Ben Linus = Jeff Luhnow

- Each is leader of a divisive faction. Ben is the leader of The Others, a cast of scientists and doctors who have inhabited the island and have tormented the survivors on the beach. Luhnow, the Cardinals vice-president of amateur scouting and player development, is quickly becoming a thorn in the side of Walt Jocketty and others. An article by Ken Rosenthal recently told of friction in the front office of the Cards, as Luhnow is a favorite of Bill DeWitt and has created, as Rosenthal says, "dueling factions" in the front office.


Locke = Walt Jocketty

- Locke and Jocketty are both in constant search of something. While Locke is trying to find himself and discover the mystery of the island, Jocketty searches every day for a player or two to boost his sinking team. Another interesting parallel lies in the relationship between Ben and Locke, and Luhnow and Jocketty. If you'll recall, last week Ben shot Locke and left him in the jungle. No doubt Lunhow is looking to take out Jocketty (in a less violent matter, hopefully) and claim the GM throne for himself.


Jacob = Bill DeWitt

- The mysterious invisible man, Jacob, is the ruler of The Others and will only speak with Ben, to the chagrin of Locke. DeWitt, the owner of the Cardinals, is usually just as mysterious. He is the ruler of the Cardinals front office and has taken Luhnow under his wing, to the disdain of Jocketty. Each prefers to be left alone. Jacob in his shack in the jungle, and DeWitt in his mansion in Cincinnati.

Well, that was anti-climactic. After much pomp and circumstance surrounding the pre-game festivities, So Taguchi, Preston Wilson and Yadier Molina played like So Taguchi, Preston Wilson and Yadier Molina do.

The lone highlight for Cards fans from Opening Day in St. Louis was knowing that someone at Busch Stadium actually once had sex with Angelina Jolie. That lucky bastard would be Billy Bob Thornton, co-emcee on the night along with Cards radio announcer John Rooney.

At this point, putting So Taguchi in left field isn't that much of an upgrade over Chris Duncan. No, seriously. And Yadier Molina hitting fifth? This is a guy who has a lower career slugging percentage than Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano, as Jerry Crasnick points out.

Preston Wilson? All he managed to do was stave off one rally before it began, hitting into a double play in his first at-bat of the season in the first inning, and killing another potential rally by striking out with runners in scoring position. Nice.

While it is easy to blame the players for going limp in their opportunity, somebody has to question what Tony LaRussa was doing putting that line-up on the field in the first place (insert not funny joke about alcohol here). While Cardinal Nation is familiar with LaRussa's love for match-ups, Taguchi and Wilson seem odd choices for the assignment, given their history against Glavine was a combined 11 for 59, and both struggled mightily this spring. Wilson and LaRussa even had a minor war of words early in spring training about Wilson's "long" swing (I'll save you the link - it was much ado about very little. LaRussa basically told Preston to get his ass in gear).

So, what does this mean for the 2007 season? Very little. Chris Duncan will play more than So Taguchi, Scott Spiezio and his colorful facial hair will probably play more than Preston Wilson, and Chris Carpenter is sure to pitch better. It was a strange way to open the year, but I'm willing to look past it...for now.