During Albert Pujols's time with the St. Louis Cardinals and afterward with the Los Angeles Angels, many wanted to nickname him "El Hombre", or "The Man". Each time he deferred, saying instead that that title was already taken by Stan "The Man" Musial, and Pujols believed it should stay with the Cardinals' great.

It is a title Musial will now take with him to the grave, as Musial passed away on Saturday evening at the age of 92.

It was a title befitting of Musial, the greatest Cardinal to ever play the game and one of the best to ever wear a uniform; period. Let's run down the list for a moment of just how great a player Musial really was, playing in the shadows of Joe Dimaggio and Ted Williams:

- 22 year career, all with St. Louis.

- 3630 career hits.

- 475 career home runs.

- 1951 career RBI.

- .331 career batting average

- .976 career OPS

- 123.4 career bWAR

- 3-time National League Most Valuable Player

- 20-time All-Star

- 7 career batting titles

- 1969 induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame with 93.2% of the vote.

- 3-Time World Series Champion

Quite simply, Stan Musial was an absolute stud and will always be remembered as one of the top 10 players to ever play the game. He played the game by one simple rule and it is not possible to fault the results:

"The key to hitting for high average is to relax, concentrate, and don't hit the fly ball to center field."

Rest in Peace Stan. You will forever be "The Man"!

It seems somewhat of a mystery why Michael Bourn is still on the free agent market at this stage of the winter. MLBtr had Bourne ranked as the number 3 free agent of the year, behind only Zack Greinke and Josh Hamilton, and he seemingly had a lot of buzz around him heading into the winter.

Yet, here he sits, still unsigned. What makes it worse, is that there is absolutely no buzz around him, no rumors as to where Michael Bourn may be heading.

Perhaps it is the new draft rules hampering his market, similarly to how it is keeping Kyle Lohse shelved as well. By turning down the qualifying offer from the Braves, worth $13.3 million for one-year, Bourn is free to sign with whoever he chooses. That team is then required to surrender a first-round draft choice to do so, as long as that pick is not one of the first ten in the draft.

However, the problem does not lie with the compensation, but with the draft slotting rules that changed this year. By limiting how much a team can spend on picks, especially later in the draft, they limit the ability for teams to overspend in later rounds, making the earlier picks much more valuable.

Obstacles aside, Bourn's market has taken quite a hit. The Nationals acquired a cheaper alternative when they traded for Denard Span. The Braves spent heavy on B.J. Upton. The Angels likewise inked Josh Hamilton. Even the two behomoth's in free agency, Boston and New York, have been shy about long-term deals in order to stay under the luxury tax threshold, either this season or next.

Of course, none of this is to say that the market for Bourn will not open up, even this late in the season. Bourn's agent, Scott Boras, came out of nowhere last winter to secure Prince Fielder a nine-year, $214 million deal on January 24th. The right deal could be right around the corner.

The Texas Rangers are still in the market for outfield help, but could use a much bigger bat in the line-up. The Braves continue to discuss Bourn, but it is hard to imagine them spending that much money on the outfield and then having to deal with who plays center between him and Upton. Bourn would be a good pick-up by the Mets, but they have no money to spend despite the need to upgrade. The St. Louis Cardinals could be a good match, and have the salary space now with both Lohse and Berkman off the books, but they may be looking for the price to come down in order to justify the loss of a pick.

Bourn will find a home, but it may take some scrambling on behalf of Boras, or a subsequent move by another team, in order to get it done.

“It’s déjà vu all over again.”

-Yogi Berra

Correct me if I am wrong, but I feel like we have been here before. Maybe it was in another time, another life. Maybe then I was had some significant riches or hell, maybe I was playing in the game itself, but something really feels familiar hear, like it has happened before.

Oh wait, that’s because it has happened before. Three time to be exact.

Of course, I’m talking about the fact that the 2012 World Series is going retro, all the way back to 2006 unless the San Francisco Giants find a way to mount a tremendous comeback.

The Detroit Tigers have already punched their tickets, thanks to a 4-game sweep of the punch less New York Yankees, who folded along with Derek Jeter’s ankle. Detroit will represent the American League and will likely play the St. Louis Cardinals, who lead the Giants in the National League Championship Series 3-1.  And that is where the more of the same comes back again.

This will mark the 12^th World Series appearance for the Tigers, with Detroit winning 4 titles. The Cardinals meanwhile have made the series a whopping 18 times and won 11 titles, both of which are second to only the New York Yankee machine.

But wait, it gets better.

The Cardinals and Tigers have faced off in the World Series 3 times, in 1934, 1968, and 2006. St. Louis has won 2 of the 3 meetings, including the last match-up in 2006.

Now, I do not want to take anything away from the Tigers or the Cardinals here. Despite their early season struggles, the Tigers put together a great run at the end to win the A.L. Central and carried it over into the postseason. They were favored from the beginning of the year, with the likes of Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Justin Verlander, Doug Fister (who doesn’t love saying that name), and Max Scherzer. This team should be here.

As for the Cardinals, you cannot fault them either. This is a team that has overcome losing the best player in baseball, Albert Pujols, their second-best hitter to injury in Lance Berkman, and was without their ace Chris Carpenter for everything but the final few weeks of the season. The National League slept on them and the Cardinals made them pay, behind Yadier Molina, Allen Craig, David Freese, Carlos Beltran, Adam Wainright, and Matt Holliday. Now, they are dispatching the Giants like brushing away an annoying fly and we’ll have another Tigers and Cardinals World Series.

Personally, I love the match-up because they are two old-school teams that will represent a great series. However, I cannot help but be a bit disappointed. This was supposed to be the year an upstart made some noise. This was the year the Baltimore Orioles were going to take the world by storm. This was the year that the Washington Nationals were not supposed to handicap themselves by benching Stephen Strasburg and they were meant to have a say in this. The Cincinnati Reds and Oakland Athletics made huge strides and were not meant to go down in a flaming blaze of glory in the first round.

I know the pundits love to point out that small market teams have no place in the World Series. They are not going to draw strong television audiences and are henceforth not worth the time on display. My argument for that is that if the small market squads build up a history of success, like the Texas Rangers have, they tend to reverse the course of popularity. The Oakland A’s of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s were a tremendously popular team because of sustained success.

Baseball is a great game, but it always has a feeling of been there, done that. I just wish that the World Series could eventually catch up with the winds of change.

Is ScottJax getting old?? Broncos, Cardinals playoff bound?? Messi greatest soccer player ever?? This and more, in today’s edition of

Had an appointment with my surgeon this past Monday. I have been having some discomfort with my hip. It gets sore when I am at work lifting mail from containers. He says to stop lifting, but I can’t because its my job. Plus, I have been working out 4 days a week. So now he wants me off the weights and swim, or bicycle ride instead. I can use a stationary bike and ride it for 2-30 minutes. I have been contemplating retiring at 62, which would be in 6 years, or wait until I am 66 and 6 months. If I wait longer I won’t have to pay for healthcare out of my retirement because I would get Tricare for life. Plus social security would be another $600 a month more, that’s a lot of money for senior citizens to have. LOL. Oh they worries to have to make about retirement. LOL. Any suggestions???

If this blog is called Random Thoughts, why do I start writing it 3-4 days in advance?? Am I the only one who starts writing their blogs early??

Do you think with the edition of Peyton Manning, the Denver Broncos or Arizona Cardinals are playoff bound?

If Manning goes to the Broncos, does Tebow get traded to the Jaguars?? Fans in Jacksonville wanted Tebow to be drafted by his hometown team, but it didn’t happen. He would have filled the seats at Everbank Stadium. But, this would not have been the same Tebow as these fans are accustom to. I think the Gators of the National Champion era would have given the Jaguars a hell of a fight.

Lionel Messi, considered one of the greatest soccer players, at the age of 23, scored 5 goals in a game. Lionel’s five goals is the first time it has been done in Champions League History. Here is poetry in motion with the great Lionel:

Knicks have lost six in a row. Is this the falls of the team? Is it Lin’s fault? Now that the team is healthy is it a jelling thing? This team is too talented not to make it to the playoffs.

Til Next Time

Scott

Is David Stern sly?? Albert an Angel?? A fight at a college basketball game?? Braun doing drugs?? Syracuse!!!! All this, Coaches dropping, and more, in one of the biggest ScottJax bogs ever, in this weeks edition of

ScottJax has been released, by his surgeon, to go back to work. I started work, this past Tuesday, boo-hoo, and already can’t wait until I go on vacation in March. It felt good relaxing, and spending time with my family during the day and evening. I work at night, so it was really different being up all day.

When are attendance figures, at least in the NFL, correct? I go to Jacksonville Jaguar games, and for the last 3 games, the attendance was reported at over 62,000. While that figure would be accurate for the Jaguar game on Monday Night Football two weeks ago, it was not correct for yesterday‘s game. The two bridges leading to Everbank Field, were empty a half hour before game time. The weather was miserable, it was windy and cold. Their weren’t a lot of fans in the stands, maybe 40,000 if that. When you have been a season ticket holder for a long time, who can get an idea of what the attendance is.

How sly is David Stern?? First his cronies who are running the New Orleans Hornets trade Chris Paul to the Lakers in a three-team trade. Then, because some NBA owners cried foul, he canceled the trade.

Now its okay for a team to trade any of its players, as long as they don’t have a no-trade clause, but, it isn’t alright for a team run by the NBA to trade its star player, especially to a team who already has a mega-star on it.

You are going to tell me the Hornets get Lamar Odom, from the Lakers, and from Houston they would get a 2012 first round pick from Houston that they got from the Knicks, Luis Scola, Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic. Do any of these players strike fear in your heart? Nah, not a chance. In the meantime, Houston gets Pau Gasol.

So the Lakers give up an injury prone Lamar Odom and a player who will never be a mega-star in Gasol. No wonder the Lakers wanted to make the trade.

Then the Hornets turned down a trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Clippers, because Los Angles Clippers weren’t giving the Hornets enough in return. Originally, the Clippers were to send center Chris Kaman and prospects Al-Farouq Aminu and Eric Bledsoe, but New Orleans wanted Los Angeles to add Eric Gordon and Minnesota’s unprotected 2012 first-round draft pick, which the Clippers thought was too much to give, even for the chance to get Paul. Another move by the NBA to keep Paul in New Orleans.

But the essences of the owners lock-out had been to stop big-market teams from leveraging small-market teams for star players pending free agency.

The real problem is going to be, DOES ANYONE REALLY KNOW WHAT THE NBA OWNERS GOT FROM THE NEW COLLECTIVE BARGINING AGREEMENT????

Or

WAS THERE SOME BACKROOM DEALS DONE JUST BETWEEN THE OWNERS THAT THE PLAYERS DON’T KNOW ABOUT???

It has now been reported that CP3 will be going to the Clippers

 In what was a dominate game by Xavier, turned out to be remembered as a game that was called with 9.4 seconds left when the teams fought on the court. This game was marred with trash talking throughout the game, then words escalated into shoving and then swings were seen in the pile, as coaches pulled their players away.

The cheap shot has to go to Cincinnati’s Yancy Gates as he sucker punched Xavier’s Kenny Frease in the face.

Cincinnati suspended senior Yancy Gates, junior Cheikh Mbodj and freshman Octavius Ellis six games each and freshmen Ge’Lawn Guyn one game.

Xavier suspended freshman Dez Wells and walk-on Landen Amos for four games, junior Mark Lyons for two and senior Tu Holloway for one game.

I feel that Yancy Gates should have been suspended for the season for his actions. He was the player who was throwing multiple punches during the melee.

Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said the four suspended Bearcats players will still have to earn their way back onto the team, even with their fixed game suspensions handed out by the school and endorsed by the Big East on Sunday afternoon.

Before any of them put a uniform back on they will apologize and that's just the first step before putting the uniform back on," Cronin told ESPN.com Sunday. "Just because the press release says what it says that doesn't mean they're all back. They're going to sit in front of a camera and say how sorry they are and how grateful they are for getting a second chance.

"If I don't believe it then they won't be on the team -- and if they don't demonstrate that they won't ever put on a jersey again -- period," Cronin said. "They're going to sit in front of a camera and say it. I can tell the difference as to how genuine they are. The university issued the suspensions and I supported it. But for me it's different. I have the autonomy to not let anybody back on the team."

Officials and coaches, from both teams, have offered apologies and expressed embarrassment.

On top of the suspensions of Xavier and Cincinnati players, comes word that a southwest Ohio prosecutor will consider criminal charges in the aftermath of the brawl. Hamilton County prosecutor Joe Deters said in a statement Monday that his office will review the fight to determine whether any charges are appropriate.

What’s up with Ryan Braun? Come-on man!!! Just when we thought baseball was getting back to normal, you go and screw things up. Braun found out about the results before he received his MVP award. He is appealing the ruling. Now Ryan’s spokesperson is telling all who will listen, "There are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan's complete innocence and demonstrate that there was absolutely no intentional violation of the program. While Ryan has impeccable character and no previous history, unfortunately, because of the process we have to maintain confidentiality and are not able to discuss it any further, but we are confident that he will ultimately be exonerated."

Ryan should have made a statement, on his own, if he had nothing to hide.

Congratulations go out to the Houston Texans who finally have made it to the playoffs. Got give props to T.J. Yates who was throw into the job after quarterbacks Schaub and Leinart went down with injuries. Yates is 2-0 as a started.

St. Louis screwed up!! They have a loyal fan base who fill the stadium and what do they do, they let Albert walk. If he was with Yankees, they would have given him what he wanted. This is like saying todays Cardinals would have let Stan "the Man" Musial walk.

James Harrison has to be one of the dirtiest players in the NFL. Here is the hit on McCoy the other day. Notice how Harrison brings his arms up. He does that on most of his hits. Tell me there’s not something wrong with that.

He has to get an suspension or a heavy fine placed on him.

The NFL gave James a one game suspension. Was that enough??

I know its early in the season, and number one really doesn’t mean as much as it does at the end of the college basketball season, but I have to give props to MY College basketball team Syracuse Orange. With all the adversity with the Bernie Fine incident the team has stood tall. It does help that this is the deepest team that I can remember. Ten players play consistently while the team has had fifteen players play in a game. I can never remember when that many played in a game for Cuse.

Go Orange!!!

What do these three coaches have in common? They are no longer the head football coach of their teams.

Jack was fired two weeks ago, 2 years too late, by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Del Rio was the coach for 9 years, with a record of 68-71. His last three years were suppose to be years Jacksonville was to make it to the playoffs, but just the opposite happened. The team finished 7-9, 8-8 and was 3-8 when fired.

Todd Haley, 19-27, just couldn’t get the chief untracked after quarterback Matt Cassel, and three starting offensive lineman, went down with a season ending injuries. The future looked bright after Kansas City made it to the playoffs with a 10-6 record. I think the Chiefs were looking for a reason to fire Haley.

Tony Sparano, was 11-5 in his first year as the Dolphins head coach, leading people to believe that the future was bright. Ah how records of 79, 7-9 and 4-9, finishing with a 29-32, spoiled it all.

Here is another video of a military person surprising a family member

Til next time

Scott