When Will St. Louis be Competitive Again?

As a lifelong fan of the St. Louis Cardinals (as a kid my favorite player was the unstoppable base-stealer, Lou Brock), I was thrilled to see the Cardinals win the World Series.

It was vintage Tony LaRussa managemant, pulling all the right moves at just the right times, and, of course, David Freese had a once-in-a-lifetime Fall Classic, but, now hat LaRussa has gone to retirement and Albert Pujols is headed to the LA Angels, one wonders just how long it will be until the Cards are actually competitive again.

With LaRussa running the show, Cardinals' fans were treated to the very best in on-field management. Tony got the best out of his players and knew how to motivate even marginal guys to heights of greatness. Filling those shoes will be a difficult task for recently-named manager Mike Matheny, currently the youngest manager in the majors.

By hiring the inexperienced Matheny, St. Louis brass is signaling that the Cardinals will be in rebuilding mode, top to bottom, from the scouting staff to the minor leagues. The hiring of Matheny was a dead giveaway that the Cardinals were not serious about paying Pujols $25 million a year.

As it was, winning the 2011 World Series was a season-long struggle and a testament to LaRussa and some of the grittier guys on the team, like Chris Carpenter, Lance Berkman and Yadier Molina. Getting into the playoffs is not going to be easy for the next three t four years, and that's a hopeful prognosis.

The Cards have to find a first baseman, a shortstop and will probably be looking for another catcher to give Molina some rest. Matt Holliday and Berkman may not be around much longer, especially if the team struggles. It goes even deeper: talent-wise, outside of the pitching staff (which will welcome back Adam Wainwright with open arms), the only solid position is third base, where Freese has the look of a perennial top 30 player.

Beyond that, the Cardinals will have to build from the bottom up, make smart trades and hopefully give Matheny some leeway in his managerial style, allowing him to grow into the position.

It looks like the Cardinals won't really be competitive for a few seasons, though at least they play in one of the weaker divisions - the NL Central - and can probably be better than the Cubs and Astros in 2012. Beyond that, it will take exceptional trades, coaching and a large dose of good fortune to get back to the playoffs any time before say, 2015.

Online Learning Perfect for the Off-Season

With a few months before Spring Training, resting baseball players - and even fantasy players - have plenty of spare time to indulge in a wide variety of pursuits. While many surely will opt for vacations and exercise (not a bad idea for 2012), others may prefer a more practical approach to the off-season, pursuing other interests such as business ventures or getting a college degree.

There are plenty of choices for everyone in the US educational system, including online programs like those offered at WaldenU.edu which offers Bachelor's Master,s Doctoral and Certificate Programs as well as individual courses in a wide variety of disciplines.

Anyone with internet access can earn a degree through Walden University's online degree programs including areas of pursuit in Education, Health, Management, Psychology, Public Policy and Administration, Counseling and Social Services and Nursing.

A couple of mouse clicks and a few keystrokes are all that's between off-season boredom and the opportunity to learn about Walden and pave the way toward a brighter future.

NFL Sportswear for Baseball Players and Fans

One thing about baseball season, it's long. If you're lucky enough to play all the way through the World Series, the season beings in March, either in Florida or Arizona for Spring training, and ends in the last days of October.

While it's probably a longer season than almost all other professional sports, there are advantages, one being the short off-season, which is great if you've got real passion for the game. There's plenty to do in the off-season, one of the tasks of every serious ball player is to stay in some kind of decent shape, so spending time at a local gym or working out at home is constructive use of those dreary winter days.

The other advantage to playing baseball is that it is, for the most part, a non-contact sport. Other than the occasional crash at home plate or accidental running into one of your own guys on a fly ball, you're not ramming your body into other players, like they do in the NFL.

Professional athletes like to keep track of how others in pro sports are faring, and many are huge fans. Golfer Phil Mickelson often sports the colors of favorite teams while on the tour and many athletes don their favorite nfl apparel for games, parties or other social gatherings.

Jerseys and hats are among the more popular clothing items that fans and athletes wear to games, outings or just around the house. NFL clothing comes in all sizes and various styles to suit every body type and personal taste. There are throwback uniforms, wildly attractive new style hats, jackets and jerseys and much more, making the baseball off-season a little easier to take, watching huge pro football players ram into each other every Sunday, while sporting the latest football fashion.

Time to Hit the Beach

Now that baseball season is over, you may be thinking about a little vacation, maybe someplace warm for a few weeks away during the cold Northeast winter. 

The Bahamas and most of the Virgin islands offer plenty of opportunity for warm water frolicking so be sure to pack water gear, scuba gear and wetsuits for your trip to the Caribbean. If the airlines charge an arm and a leg for transporting your gear, you might consider leaving some of it behind and renting when you arrive.

Things to pack if traveling light would include goggles, fins, snorkel, trunks and a lightweight wetsuit along with the usual toothpaste and underwear.

The islands offer plenty of relief from the rat race with a slower, casual pace that will soothe the nerves and awesome potential for windsurfing, boogie-boarding, snorkeling, scuba-diving, surf fishing and just about any other aquatic adventure you can imagine.

Prices are reasonable for cruise packages, and there are deals galore online for a winter getaway.