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Report: Colby Rasmus requested a trade earlier this season

St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Colby Rasmus makes the out against Chicago Cubs batter Aramis Ramirez during the first inning of their MLB National League baseball game in St. Louis, Missouri, August 15, 2010.  REUTERS/Sarah Conard (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that Cardinals’ centerfielder Colby Rasmus requested a trade earlier this season due to frustrations with manager Tony La Russa.

The La Russa-Rasmus relationship remains a source of intrigue. During spring training Rasmus made clear the issues he confronted as a rookie. He and his father, Tony, then began a series of July hitting tutorials at a county high school that annoyed the manager. Club sources insist that Rasmus’ frustrations with La Russa led him to request a trade earlier this year and that his lengthy absence last month due to a right calf strain also resurrected concerns. The organization has long considered Rasmus untouchable in trade talks. Few dispute his talents and potential but there remains a question of toughness and willingness to accept criticism. There are those who share the same clubhouse who wonder if La Russa has “lost” Rasmus, or if Rasmus has permanently withdrawn from the taskmaster.

I’ve never understood why La Russa continues to give Rasmus as many days off as he has. Here the Cardinals are yesterday, playing the Reds in a pivotal series and Nick Stavinoha (0-for-3) is starting over Rasmus (double in the ninth as a pinch hitter). Even if Rasmus is a mental midget (I’m not saying he is – just going off the report above), he’s too talented to ride the bench as much as he does.

This is an interesting storyline in St. Louis and certainly one worth following with La Russa questionable to return next season.

Les Miles very nearly sealed his own fate and other Saturday thoughts

There have been rumblings in Louisiana that Les Miles has worn out his welcome as coach at LSU. Some have written this off as ridiculous — “He won a national title in 2007!” — but Saturday night was a harsh reminder of why the LSU faithful have lost a lot of, um, faith, in Miles.

The Tigers survived Saturday night in a 30-24 win against half of North Carolina’s team. And it really wasn’t even the good half. Worse still is that LSU very nearly blew a 30-10 lead in the fourth quarter to do it.

Give a lot of credit to the North Carolina players who know the NCAA rules. They played with a lot of heart down the stretch and were two dropped passes and a probably-missed pass interference call away from winning a game nobody gave them a chance in.

But the story here is Miles and the Tigers nearly blowing the game. The Tigers failed to put the game away, and star defensive back Patrick Peterson’s postgame quote said a ton. When asked why he wasn’t on the field for a 97-yard touchdown pass that gave North Carolina life, Peterson responded, “I guess he thought we had a comfortable lead.”

The “he” in that sentence is defensive backs coach Ron Cooper, but how does that decision not go through Miles? If it doesn’t, it should. The head coach doesn’t need to micro-manage his assistants, but he does need to make sure his best players are on the field while the game is still in any kind of doubt. Miles needs to at the very least contend for an SEC title this year, or it could be his last.

Now some other thoughts on the first Saturday of college football. Continue reading »

Jets ready to move on without Darrelle Revis?

New York Jets defensive back Darrelle Revis (R) tackles Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Bobby Engram after he caught a Seneca Wallace pass for a 10-yard gain in the fourth quarter at Qwest Field in Seattle on December 21, 2008. Braving icy roads and long commutes, thousands of Seahawks fans braved the weather for the team's last home game of the season as the Seahwks beat the Jets 13-3. (UPI Photo/Jim Bryant) Photo via Newscom Photo via Newscom

The Newark Star-Ledger is reporting that Jets’ GM Mike Tannenbaum has said that the team will move forward without disgruntled cornerback Darrelle Revis now that final cuts have been made.

“Darrelle is not here, and we’ve planned accordingly,” general manager Mike Tannenbaum said on a conference call with reporters. “We feel good about our depth at corner. We have six guys that can help us, and that’s the group we’re going to be moving forward with.”

“We have to move forward,” Tannenbaum said. “We’re playing ball in a little over a week, and that’s what we’re prepared to do. We feel good about the roster we have; we feel good about our coaching staff. Over the course of a 16-game season, there are going to be a number of players that are unavailable. Traditionally it’s for injuries; one happens to be a contract issue.”

Good for the Jets. They drew a line in the sand and stuck to it. I don’t get what Revis expected to happen; the Jets told him that they would never pay him what he wanted and he still continues to hold out. It’s amazing how much money this guy is going to leave on the table just because he wants to carry the moniker of being the highest paid cornerback in the league.

I’ve got news for you Darrelle, with the way free agency works in the NFL, you would only have been the highest paid corner for the next couple of years and then somebody would have topped your figures. So just play some damn football already.

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