The number one overall pick of the draft was Offensive Tackle Eric Fisher from Central Michigan. Fisher was the highest player from the MAC ever drafted, dating back to the first NFL draft.  Before Fisher, Byron Leftwich was the highest drafted player from the MAC at seventh overall in the 2003 NFL draft.

Tyrann Mathieu will look to silence his critics with his actions on and off the playing field. Photo courtesy of Tyrann Mathieu’s Twitter account.

On a side note, the Southeastern Conference showed its dominance with the amount of players they had drafted this year. Out of the first 100 players, 33 of them were from the SEC. Also, out the total 254 players drafted this year, the SEC was represented by 63 of them.

Geno Smith as drafted 39th overall by the New York Jets, which gave the Jets six quarterbacks on their roster. The Jets have released Tim Tebow from their roster, which gives Smith a better opportunity to help contribute to the their offense. Matt Barkley, who was projected to be a top ten pick, if not the overall number one last year, fell to the 98th pick in this year’s draft as the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him.

Tyrann Mathieu was considered a questionable pick due to his off field issues and size (5’9″, 186 pounds), but with the right guidance and understanding of his past, I could see him making a huge impact immediately with the Arizona Cardinals. Many of his critics called him undersized, but this could give him another advantage, as he will be harder to tackle by the bigger players.

The Cardinals drafted Mathieu with the 69th overall pick in the third round of the draft. He will be reunited with former LSU players Patrick Peterson and Kevin Minter, which will allow Mathieu to have an easier transition with the rest of his teammates. Not many players get an opportunity like this after being dismissed from their college team when the situations are drug related, but the upside is good to pass up for Mathieu.

Mathieu took to Twitter to express his gratefulness for being given a chance to prove himself in the NFL. He tweeted: “A blessing delayed is not a blessing denied!!” His message shows he has grown as a person overall and has taken steps in the right direction to bettering himself on and off the playing field.

He was known as the Honey Badger for his nose for the ball and physical style of play; he recorded four total touchdowns between fumble recoveries and punt returns along with being named a Heisman Trophy Finalist in his sophomore season. Mathieu could have a great career if his off-the-field issues are kept to a minimum.

The Rams had a successful draft after a few head-scratching draft classes in recent years. They targeted just

Fans will get to know the Rams recently drafted players and see who they are as people through social media. Photo courtesy of the St. Louis Rams’ Twitter account.

about all of the positions that were depleted on the roster on both offense and defense. General manager Les Snead knew before the draft exactly what positions the Rams needed to fill and drafted what look like the right players for the offensive and defensive schemes.

After the draft ended, Snead said, “It’s good that we came away from every pick with a player we really wanted,” showing the Rams didn’t just draft players to use the pick for that round or draft a player that will take a few years to develop in an NFL-caliber player.

In the first round they drafted wide receivers Tavon Austin (5’8”, 174 pounds) and Stedman Bailey in the third round. Austin could be considered undersized, but has proven to be durable, having not missed a game his whole college career. Austin and Bailey were teammates at West Virginia, which will allow them to play better off each other due to their previous chemistry.

The Rams knew they needed to draft a running back after the departure of Steven Jackson. This led to them drafting running back Zac Stacy from Vanderbilt in the fifth round.

The pick that stood out to me was fourth round pick offensive Lineman Barrett Jones. He is coming from the University of Alabama and powerhouse conference SEC. He has played just about every position on the offensive line, which is just what the Rams need with their history of injured players. Jones was a very decorated player in college, winning multiple awards as the top offensive lineman in the country.

On defense, the Rams drafted linebacker Alec Ogletree from Georgia in the first round, safety T.J. McDonald from the University of Southern California in the third round, and cornerback Brandon McGee from the University of Miami in the fifth round.

All of the players drafted by the Rams could help them become more competitive in the NFC West as the NFC as a whole. While the draft doesn’t always represent how a players’ NFL careers will play out, it definitely gives new light to the players drafted as well as the teams that drafted them. Which players drafted in the 2013 NFL draft do you think will have successful careers or be labeled as busts?

The post Evaluating the 2013 NFL Draft appeared first on Maryville Pawprint.

Tweet from ESPN’s Darren Rovell

It was announced earlier this morning that NFL team, the New York Jets, have released the polarizing backup quarterback, Tim Tebow. Now, the keyword in that last sentence is “backup.” Never before in football has there ever been a more talked about backup quarterback than Tim Tebow. You may know him as the overly religious quarterback from Florida, or as one of the worst quarterbacks you have ever seen throw a football, but no matter what the reason is: Tim Tebow always draws a crowd.  After acquiring Tebow last year, the Jets tried to use Tebow in almost every position BUT quarterback.  From lining him up in the wildcat formation, to putting him on punt return coverage, you have to question what the real reason for the Tebow addition was.

On the release of Tebow, Jets coach, Rex Ryan said, “We have a great deal of respect for Tim Tebow…  Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we all had hoped.”

Maybe the Jets got caught up in the Tebow-mania from his brief stint in Denver when he led them to the playoffs and actually managed to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first division game. After this year’s draft however, the Jets selected Geno Smith as the seventh pick in the second round. While the Jets attempt to solve their quarterback issues this off-season, Tebow will be looking for another job. While he possesses all the talent to be a great NFL player, a job as a quarterback in this league does not seem like one he should pursue. This could be the end of Tebow-Time or this could be the beginning of something new for the Heisman winner quarterback from Florida.

The post Is Tebow-Time Over? appeared first on Maryville Pawprint.

Maryville dance team competes in Florida. Photo courtesy of Krysta Struthers.

Our team qualified for the NDA competition at an exhausting three day NDA camp in August of 2012 when we received first place in our division and a silver bid to Nationals. We spent months preparing our skills at practice, games and events around town to be able to put together a routine that would put our best foot forward and really help us shine at such a large scale competition. With over 100 other dance teams, we were weary but ready for the challenge!

Our team competed in the Open category against Division II dance teams from all across the nation including the University of Tampa, nearly 7,000 students, Valdosta State University, 12,515 students, and the University of California-San Diego, 29,052 students. Compare these numbers to Maryville’s 3,500 students. Maryville’s routine “Beside You,” a jazzy-lyrical mix, was a definite stand out for its style and choreography. Before competing in the preliminary competition each team has fifteen minutes on a small strip of the floor and then fifteen minutes on a full size piece of the floor. This time is completely nerve wrecking because there are 50 other teams in the room preparing some amazing routines all at the same time. Even though there was so much going on, we knew we had to focus and come together as a team to push through the competition.

Maryville Dance Team takes 4th Place at NDA Collegiate Dance Championship 2013. Photo courtesy of Krysta Struthers.

The preliminary competition was a whirlwind. Immediately following our practice time we were ushered backstage to perform. Our two minutes and thirty seconds seemed more like five seconds, but we came off the stage proud of how we performed and how far we had come! Our fate was in the judges’ hands now; a head judge, a panel of judges, and a safety judge would decide if our team was worthy of performing again in finals the following day. We anxiously waited in the Peabody Auditorium watching other dances as the scores were announced. Our score was a 9.398 out of 10 putting us in third place and securing a spot in finals.

“My stomach dropped as I realized for the first time that our school has ever been down to Nationals. We made history and went farther than we could have ever imagined!” said freshman Shelby Straher. I couldn’t believe it either! We achieved our goal of being able to compete one last time in Daytona Beach for the Championship.

The following day was finals and we would be competing against nine other teams, seven of which we had scored better than in the preliminary competition. The flow of finals was similar to prelims except we only received nine minutes of practice time on each floor. I think we were more excited than nervous this time around because we had made the changes the judges asked for and we were ready to show everyone all of our hard work. As usual, we shouted our team chant one last time before taking the stage and then it was time. Our music played and we danced our routine expressing every emotion that we had, and let me tell you there were a lot of them. That was it, the time we had all been waiting for. I couldn’t have been more proud of the team and myself at that very moment! It was an amazing feeling to have come so far with such a wonderful group of young women. At this point it no longer mattered where we placed because we were happy with our performance.

The competition officials brought all ten Division II Open Dance competitors out onto the floor. We waited and listened as they called 10th place, 9th place, 8th place and so on. We could barely keep our composure, not only were we excited for ourselves but we were cheerful for the other teams who had made it so far as well.

“It was the most amazing feeling in the world. My heart was beating so fast and there was a ton of excitement surrounding me!” said junior Kristin Wilson.

The emcee announced that Maryville University was 4th place in the nation. What an incredible feeling. We were ecstatic! The scores were so close too, we were just fractions away from the top placing school.

Coach Georgia Prince said, “Couldn’t be more proud of this team, not only for the way they have come together competitively as dancers but the way they have represented the university, such a class act!” Our coaches were proud of us but more importantly we were proud of ourselves. The team looks forward to an even more impressive national competition next year. Go Saints!

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Athletes such as Lebron James and Kobe Bryant have embraced their social media presence to reach out to their fans. This is not only a quick way to for athletes to let the world know what they are doing, but fans can also respond to their posts and interact with their favorite players in any sport.

When these athletes post on their social media accounts, it gives their fans an inside look into their world. It shows us who they are as people besides who we see when they are playing their sport during games.

Lebron james has always tried to interact with his fans, especially children. Photo courtesy of Lebron James’ Instagram account.

Lebron James has always shown Ohio sports teams support, even if he has never played for them. During the NCAA men’s basketball tournament he openly cheered for Ohio State University and the University of Akron.

He tweeted: “#GoBucks i see you Q! Big time shot. Way to go guys. O..H..I..O.”

At the same time he supported other team’s players when they were injured. When Louisville’s Kevin Ware broke his leg, James tweeted: “Prayers goes out to Kevin Ware and his family! May u have a speedy recovery kid and come back even stronger!”

Most athletes put on their game face or have a persona they live up to when they have a game. So as social media has become popular over the past few years, we have been able to see that a lot of these players are very personal and generous when it comes to their fans. Also, it shows how close they are to their families, whether it be their spouses, parents or children.

These players use Twitter and Facebook to hold contests for meet and greets, awareness for various charities and special events with their teams.

Even though there are restrictions on what players can and can not say through social media, this opens a whole new world for fans to get a glimpse into their favorite athletes lives.

Bryant held a contest through Twitter for fans to customize his new Nike shoe. Photo courtesy of Kobe Bryant’s Twitter account.

It is never too late for a professional athlete to create a social media account. Earlier this year Kobe Bryant created a personal Twitter account after playing 17 seasons in the NBA. He has used Twitter to not only interact with his fans, but to also share what is on his mind.

When Shaquille O’Neal’s jersey was recently retired by the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant expressed his gratitude toward O’Neal at the time by saying, “Great honor for@SHAQ last night #legend Wanted to celebrate with him BUT our #legend is still being written #focus#mustwin#playoffs#drama?”

Recently, Bryant ruptured his Achilles tendon and will need 6-9 months to fully recover. However, he took this

opportunity to allow his fans an inside look into his rehabilitation process. Bryant has said he will document the full process of his recovery as it plays out. He has already posted pictures of him waiting to get an MRI and prepping for his surgery.

While this is not always the case with athletes, social media also allows athletes to show a more personal side to their life. Most people only see them during games and during interviews.

Even though social media has a lot of benefits, it can also hurt an athletes career at any level, whether it is high school, college or in the pros. High school athletes have had scholarships revoked due to inappropriate pictures and messages they have posted on Twitter. At the college level, some coaches require they players to shut down their social media accounts during the season. This eliminates any possibility of posting anything inappropriate.

At the professional level, numerous athletes have been fined for material they have posted to their social media accounts. The questionable material posted, though it may not be obscene, is just their opinion, an action they took part in or an event they attended. At the same time, the league they play for tries to keep an image that is accepted by all parties involved with the professional sport, as well as the league itself.

Social media will always have its positives and negatives, but is up to each individual user to determine how they want to use it.

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Clear skies and sunshine was the weather forecast for Sunday’s game versus the Hawks, bringing a lot of spectators to fill the hill. The game started with a quick score by the Saints, but the Hawks followed with a scoring drive of their own ending the first inning one to one.

“We struggled early off in the season with Rockhurst,” senior captain Colby White said. “To our senior and juniors, this team has become a major rival because of the history so winning this game was huge.”

The Saints’ defense came up big in the rest of the contest, leaving the Hawks scoreless the rest of the way. Junior pitcher, Brett Hancock, contributed greatly to the success of his team, striking out several batters at crucial points of the game.

The momentum shifted towards the Saints, giving them the upper hand going into the bottom of the fourth inning. Saints’ outfielder, Jared Green, hits a ground ball flying passed second base and makes a drive to third. The fans and spectators showed their appreciation with roaring cheers, handclaps and whistles. Although that drive didn’t result in a run, this was the turning point of the baseball game.

Head Coach, Seth Von Behren, made sure his game plan was made clear to his team, which was to play the game from start to finish and win with strikes and defense. The Saints did just that stopping a huge drive by the Seahawks in the bottom of the fifth with a runner on third base ready to make the scoreboard 2-1 in favor of the Hawks.

The fired up Saints went on to win the game 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh with a gutsy slide home by junior catcher, Kyle Kinyon. If you missed this exciting game, don’t miss the next home game April 23 at 6 p.m. versus the McKendree Bearcats!

The post Saints Take Much Needed Win Over Rockhurst appeared first on Maryville Pawprint.

The excitement of March Madness is usually geared toward the men’s side of college basketball, but what has always been undervalued, and still is to this day, is the women’s side of March Madness.  The Division 1 NCAA Women’s College Basketball tournament usually doesn’t really start until the Final Four. The top teams in women’s college basketball over the past few years have been the powerhouses of the tourament: the University of Connecticut, Baylor University (led by Brittney Griner), Notre Dame (led by senior Skylar Diggins), Duke, Stanford and a few other teams.  The thing about the women’s tournament is that upsets are rare.  The top seeded teams usually crush their lower seeded matchups all the way to the Final Four when the top 1 or 2 seeds typically end up to face off. Where’s the madness in that?

The Championship game will be on Tuesday, April 9. Photo courtesy of Mike Thompson.

This year was beginning to look like another year where the Final Four had all the top seeds facing each other.  That’s the way it seemed going into the Elite Eight at least. The overall top seeded Baylor University faced the lady Cardinals of Louisville in the Elite Eight with Baylor being the heavy favorite of course. The other top seeded Notre Dame faced No. 12 seed Kansas and UCONN faced Maryland. Notre Dame and UCONN beat their matchups easily and moved on to the Final Four. Stanford and Baylor, the other top seeds, gave the tournament a little bit of excitement when Stanford dropped to No. 4 Georgia and Baylor lost a thriller to No. 5 Louisville, 81-82.  This was probably one of the, if not, the largest upset in Women’s Division 1 Basketball history. Brittney Griner, a 6’8” senior who was selected as the Associate Press Player of the Year had played her last collegiate basketball game of her career and finished second all-time on the scoring list in Women’s NCAA history with 3,283 points.  She also finished as the top shot blocker EVER as she shattered both men’s and women’s college records with 748 blocks.  She finished her senior season averaging 23.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.1 blocks while shooting 61% from the field.  As shocking as it was to see Griner not repeat as a National Champion, I’m sure Notre Dame senior, Diggins would have loved to have another shot at winning a championship.

The Lady Irish of ND faced off against the historically decorated Lady Huskies of UCONN in the Final Four while Louisville faced and beat University of California 64-57. The game played entirely into UCONN’s favor, as ND couldn’t buy a basket and eventually fell 65-83. Diggins finished the game with only 10 points and shot 3-15 from the floor and ended her collegiate career without a championship.

So many stars are born in the Women’s NCAA Tournament and this year has been full of stars falling and new stars being born.  The title game between the Louisville Cardinals and Connecticut Huskies will be a great one to watch.  The underdog Lady Cardinals who have taken down the best of the best in Brittney Griner versus the Lady Huskies who are perfect in title games under their coach, Geno Auriemma.

The post 2013 Women’s NCAA Tournament Recap appeared first on Maryville Pawprint.

However, the lasting memory of this game came from a routine play when Louisville guard Kevin Ware landed awkwardly after contesting a shot from a Duke player.  Ware ended up breaking his leg in two places on the play.

Kevin Ware’s injury was never about losing him as a player, but how he became the main support system for his teammates. Photo courtesy of Kevin Ware’s Twitter account.

Immediately, Ware’s teammates knew the severity of the injury and were brought to tears as play was stopped. They had not only lost a member of their team for the remainder of that game, but for the remaining games in the tournament if they advanced. More importantly, he was one of their closest friends and some would say they would be without a brother because of how close the team was collectively.

Ware defined his relationship with his teammates by saying, “Those are my brothers. I love them to death.” Their unspoken bond would carry them further than their basketball skills ever could in a situation like this.

During high stakes games such as this one, many of the players play off their emotion and instincts. In this situation, it was clear how all of the Louisville players felt about Ware’s injury. Between the sobs and chatter, the players on the court gathered together as a team and persevered through this tragedy.

They were now motivated to win the game for Ware, knowing his current season and possibly next season were both over. Even their head coach, Rick Pittino, knew the injury would greatly impact his team.

This brought the team together in a dark moment. However, it could be considered a blessing in disguise. The Cardinals now became refocused on why they were playing Duke.

Ware’s injury could sideline him for up to a year. Photo courtesy of Kevin Ware’s Twitter account.

Coach Pittino said, “We wanted to do this for Kevin.” This showed they were not just playing for the title anymore, but for pride.

Ware never let on that he was in pain, so they wouldn’t get any more distracted than they already were. However he explained, “Once I was by myself, I let the tears out.”  Ware knew how his teammates would react if he were to appear upset, so he stayed positive around them to get them fired up to finish the game strong.

Louisville defeated Duke and the team traveled to Atlanta to start to prepare for their next opponent. Ware stayed in Indianapolis to have surgery to repair his broken leg. Ware was cleared by his doctors within the next couple days to fly with the team to support them any way he could. Not only were these games important to the teams as a whole, but also the Final Four and national championship game were in Ware’s home state of Georgia.

To show his support for one his players and a guy he cared deeply for, Pittino stayed over night with Ware after his surgery. His actions speak volumes about how Pittino is as a coach and a person, in general. He sacrificed any free time he may have had over the next couple of days to help a player he had grown close to over the past couple of years.

Louisville, as a team, has used Kevin Ware and his injury as motivation to play harder and to bring him a national championship. While warming up for games, they wear shirts with the slogan “Rise to the Occasion” and they don’t want to let him down.

The team was down by twelve points to Wichita State, but won the game to advance to the national championship game against the Michigan Wolverines. After losing in the Final Four last year, they did not want to relive that feeling all over again. Not only has the team banded together to overcome any team that stands in their way of winning the national championship, but winning the championship this year would be more special than they could have ever imagined. Their brotherhood has proven to be stronger than their relationships with each other as players, as well as their relationships with their coaches.

The post Was Kevin Ware’s Injury a Blessing in Disguise? appeared first on Maryville Pawprint.

The Miami Heat made history by tallying 27 straight wins. Photo courtesy of ESPN/Sportscenter.

Prediction: The Top 5 teams of the Eastern Conference – 1. The Miami Heat 2. The New York Knicks 3. The Boston Celtics 4. The Chicago Bulls 5. The Philadelphia 76ers. Now here’s how the standings actually are:

Actual Standings: 1. Miami Heat 2. New York Knicks 3. Indiana Pacers 4. Brooklyn Nets and the 5. spot goes to the Chicago Bulls. The Boston Celtics lost their all star PG Rajon Rondo to a season ending knee injury but they have battled throughout the season and managed to stay in the playoff race at the 7. spot. The Indiana Pacers have shown to be very tough despite losing their star player, Danny Granger. Brooklyn has shown flashes to be a competitor but still no team in the East can beat the Miami Heat in a seven game series. Yes, that includes the Knickerbockers and the Celtics. With Derrick Rose still hesitant to jump and land on his surgically repaired knee, there’s no telling when he will return or even if it’ll be this season. Bulls don’t pose a threat to any team in the post season.

Prediction: The Top 5 teams in the Western Conference – 1. The San Antonio Spurs 2. The Oklahoma City Thunder 3. The Memphis Grizzlies 4. The Los Angeles Lakers and 5. The Los Angeles Clippers. They don’t call the Western Conference the Wild Wild West for nothing and this season has definitely been crazy in the West.  Here’s how the standings look now:

Actual Standings: 1. San Antonio Spurs 2. Oklahoma City Thunder 3. Denver Nuggets 4. LA Clippers and 5. Memphis Grizzlies.  What happened to the decorated and historical Los Angeles Lakers? They’re battling it out with the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks for the finally 8 spot to even MAKE the playoffs. That’s right, the LA Lakers could potentially MISS the playoffs with the “Black Mamba” (Kobe Bryant) doing everything he can to avoid utter embarrassment. In the meantime, a new “Showtime” has risen in LA and it’s not from the team in purple and gold. The Clippers have stepped out from behind their older brother’s (Lakers) shadow and CP3 (Chris Paul) and Blake Griffin have made the Clippers legit contenders. With the Spurs holding onto the best record in the West, they’ll be looking to prove to everyone they aren’t just a regular season team and maybe they’ll get a shot of revenge against OKC in the Western Conference Finals again.

So what about that NBA Finals Preview? Well, after watching all the teams mentioned above, the Lakers don’t seem like a Finals-Bound team so we can rule out the dream matchup of Lebron vs. Kobe in the Finals (we’re just never going to see it). There’s no doubt that the Miami Heat will be the team representing the Eastern Conference in the Finals (three words: 27 straight wins), but who will come out of the West on top? San Antonio or Oklahoma City? Or will there be a sleep team to surprise everyone? Don’t sleep on Denver; the Nuggets have been dominant against all the top western teams. Even if the Lakers sneak into the playoffs, can we trust them to beat all these elite teams AND beat Lebron and the Heat? That’s a lot to handle, even for the 4th time leading scorer of all time, Kobe Bean Bryant.  These playoffs will be fun to watch and both conferences will have exciting, thrilling matchups to see who will make it to the NBA Finals.

The post 2012-2013 NBA Playoffs Preview appeared first on Maryville Pawprint.

Their run may have been shorter than expected, but it did not go unnoticed. They made national headlines as a team that came out of nowhere by upsetting the Georgetown Hoyas. Fans have made numerous songs and videos to go along with their happy-go-lucky style of play. This earned the team the nickname “Dunk City.”

FGCU caught everyone’s attention with their highlight plays. Photo courtesy of SportsCenter’s Twitter account.

The FGCU players didn’t worry about being the underdogs or even the history of their opponents. FGCU head coach Andy Enfield wanted his players to enjoy themselves. This is how he coached the team with a fun first attitude.  This was shown as they threw alley-oop dunks to each other during games. This showed their opponents that it didn’t matter who they were in the past because every game was different.

FGCU exceeded any expectations they set at the start of the season by advancing as far as they did. Not only were they a long shot because of their low seeding in the tournament, but also it is only their 2nd year of eligibility for the NCAA men’s tournament.

Even though FGCU was eliminated from the tournament, the program is on the rise. They went from being unknown to a highly competitive team to watch out for. One of their biggest obstacles is retaining their head coach.

FGCU AD Ken Kavanugh has said, “Whatever happens is going to happen, and we’re not going to worry about things until things get in front of us.”

While the Florida Gators eliminated the FGCU Eagles by a score of 62-50, the 9 seed Wichita State Shockers quietly won their way into the Final Four. They upset 8 seed University of Pittsburgh, 1 seed Gonzaga University and 2 seed Ohio State University.  Not only did the Shockers upset the Ohio St. Buckeyes, but it was by a score of 70-66. At one point in the game, the Shockers led by 20 points with eleven minutes left in the game.

The Shockers will play the overall 1 seed Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, April 6 for the opportunity to play in the national championship game against the Syracuse Orange or the Michigan Wolverines.

Marquette had a proven track record of winning close games, until they faced the Syracuse Orange in the Sweet 16. Photo courtesy of the ESPN Stats & Info Twitter account.

The Shockers will have a large task at hand when they face the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday. Louisville recently defeated the Duke Blue Devils by a score of 71-61 and never let up from their lead for just about all of the game.

Both Michigan and Syracuse have had to battle their way into the Final Four as both teams were picked by many to be eliminated early on in the tournament.

The Michigan Wolverines have had a remarkable run throughout the tournament thus far. It includes a 24-point comeback against the Kansas Jayhawks that was capped with an overtime victory, which was led by Trey Burke.

The Syracuse Orange defeated Big East rival Marquette in a close game to advance to the Elite Eight. This was a feat in itself as Marquette was 6-1 in the previous 7 games that were decided by 8 points or less.

Now that the Final Four is set with the Louisville Cardinals facing the Wichita State, and Shocker and the Michigan Wolverines facing the Syracuse Orange, who do you think will advance to the championship game and win the national championship?

The post How Long Will the Madness Last in College Basketball? appeared first on Maryville Pawprint.

Opening day for the 2013 MLB season is almost here. Once again, the St. Louis Cardinals are looking for their 11th World Series title. They open the season against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday, April 1 in Arizona. This season has already created curiosity as to how durable the players will be for the length of the season.

Fans have supported the Cardinals at Busch Stadium for years, whether win or lose. Photo Courtesy of Mike Figus.

Every year, the Cardinals try to advance to the playoffs with the goal of winning a World Series title. History has proven they have an unorthodox way of playing, using they tail end of the game to pull out a win. This has happened repeatedly over the past few years, keeping fans and players alike on the edges of their seats. The Cardinal players never lose sight of the big picture, but take the games pitch-by-pitch.

A long-time fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, Maryville student Jeremy Sellmeyer expressed his view on how the Cardinals will do this season after numerous roster and coaching changes: “The Cardinals are always playoff contenders, even with the players injuries. I think they will be a wildcard team at best this season as this is not a Cardinals team of the past.”

Sellmeyer is one of the thousands of Cardinals fans that have a lot of faith in the Cardinals organization, no matter what changes are made to the roster in the offseason.

However, the marquee players want bigger contracts that the Cardinals front office would not agree to offer these players. This has led to players such as first baseman Albert Pujols leaving to sign with the Anaheim Angels. Most recently, Pitcher Kyle Lohse left Cardinals organization to sign with the Milwaukee Brewers. On March 27, Adam Wainwright signed a contract extension with the St. Louis Cardinals for five years and worth $97.5 million. In previous seasons, when Wainwright is healthy, he one the Major League Baseball’s elite pitchers based on his stats alone.

The Cardinals start the season with injuries are already starting to affect the roster. Jason Motte, David Freese and Chris Carpenter will all start the season on the disabled list. Jason Motte suffered an elbow injury and during spring training on March 23 and will be shut down for at least a week. An MRI of his elbow showed a small tear to the tendon, but no damage to the ligament. Motte is a key piece to the Cardinals pitching staff and his absence could affect the outcome of any close games the Cardinals play.

Freese was put on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain. He will be replaced at third base by infielder Ryan Jackson, who was called up from Triple-A Memphis. Freese’s target return date is April 8.

Carpenter’s shoulder has plagued him for the past couple season. While he was placed on the 60-day disabled list, it is still up in the air if he will ever pitch in the major league ever again. He has been a cornerstone and ace for the Cardinals most recent World Series titles. His presence on the mound will truly be missed by his teammates and Cardinals fans alike.

It will be and interesting season for the St. Louis Cardinals. Don’t miss any of their games this season. If you can’t attend a game in person, be sure to catch any of their games covered by the ESPN family of networks or local stations.  How do you think the St. Louis Cardinals will do this season?

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