Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis could be out at the end of the season. But who should replace him?

​As we near the end of another college football season, one of America's favorite subjects rises again: What happens to Notre Dame?

Why is this non-story a story? Yu don't have to look far -- whether in St. Louis or in any other part of the country -- Notre Dame fans, however obnoxious or uppity, are everywhere.

Since Lou Holtz left the Irish after the '96 season, the national relevance of the program has diminished almost as much as Holtz's relevance as an ESPN analyst. Notre Dame has no trouble being relevant to fans or the media because it's, well, Notre Dame. But the program isn't the problem, it's the coach. When Charlie Weis was brought in five years ago, it was because he was an alumni and he had credentials as the offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning dynasty New England Patriots. It seemed like a logical choice, right?

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Well, it's nice to see the Houston Astros are still a train wreck. More >>

fortsanders.net

Bad Idea.

​I know I've mentioned before - numerous times, most likely - how much I hate no-trade clauses in baseball contracts. In particular, the no-trade clause in Kyle Lohse's contract has proven to be a source of major irritation to me, not because I don't think Lohse is a useful pitcher, but because I largely expect Lohse to be a fairly useful pitcher with a bad contract that would be hard to move in any circumstances, and damned near impossible when the player has the option of just saying, "Ummmm... nah." More >>

RETRACTION: This story was based on an inaccurate news report (linked below.) We will leave the post up, but know that Encarnacion is not running for office, and is living in Florida, according to his fiancee, reached by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Juan Encarnacion, the former Cardinal right fielder who lost much of the vision in his right eye after being struck by a foul ball off the bat of Aaron Miles, is running for a Senatorial seat in his native Dominican Republic. More >>

File under ridiculous douchebag bullshit: Major League Baseball and Topps have reached an agreement to make Topps the only licensed maker of baseball cards. More >>

That's right, folks; Michael Vick is getting his very own day. More >>

I try not to get too very sanctimonious over much of anything in life. I don't consider myself a moral relativist, by any means, but I just don't believe things are very often defined sharply in black and white. We all do what we have to to get by in life, and all too often, that means compromising ourselves and our beliefs. You do the best you can, and hope at the end of the day you can still look yourself in the mirror. More >>

Just a few minutes ago, Mark Buehrle, the lefty from the Chicago White Sox who just also happens to be a St. Louis native, completed the eighteenth perfect game in baseball history. 

Jonathan Sanchez threw the first no-hitter of 2009 last night in San Francisco. It was an achingly beautiful performance, ten strikeouts, no walks. ESPN cut to the game during Baseball Tonight, so that anyone watching at the right time got to see Sanchez make history. More >>

I wonder what sort of greeting Jason Marquis is going to get from the Busch Stadium crowd? I assume it will be positive, in keeping with the spirit of the All-Star Game and all, but I have to admit, if Marquis does in fact get into the game, I'll be sitting there in the press box, secretly hoping for one of those Whitey-Ford-killed-by-a-hail-of-pretzels-moments. Not because I dislike Jason Marquis all that much - though I do admit he used to make me want to rip my own eyes out of my head to avoid watching him pitch any more - but because the very fact Marquis is an All-Star frankly makes me question the inherent worth of mankind. More >>