Randomizing

-I know randomizing is an awkward term....but it seems to fit the bill when I'm going all over the place with various topics and opinions. So, let's use it this once.

-Apparently a couple of movies I've been looking forward to spending money on, might not be worth it after all. Steve Martin's "Pink Panther" and Harrison Ford's "Firewall" are not getting very good revues. A review in the Post-Dispatch describes "Panther" as "not quite a bomb". (Whoa!) And "Firewall" is getting mixed reviews in a quick scan of the internet. One review says Ford is too old and physically feeble to bring off the character that he portrays in the movie. Come on, give the guy a break, he's not doing too bad for someone 64.

-As much as I'd like to not believe it, I tend to think Wayne Gretzky is more involved in the Rick Tocchet gambling probe than he'd like us to believe. Janet Jones Gretzky has denied placing any bets on her husband's behalf and says he has never bet on anything in his life, aside from the occasional bet at the race track. What keeps coming back to me, is the reaction that Gretzky had when asked about his wife being implicated in the investigation on the day the news came out about Tocchet. When asked by a reporter if he knew that his wife was named in the investigation, Gretzky seemed to me to have a "prepared response" to the question. He looked like he knew it was coming. He said something to the effect...."Really?...you'll have to ask her about that." It wasn't a bad response to the question...but, to me, it came out so quickly after being asked...and was so poorly acted...that it seemed fake and disingenuous. If you were totally surprised by a question like that....wouldn't you look somewhat startled for a few seconds...collect your thoughts...and then say something? He didnt' do that. He seemed to spit out a rehearsed answer. Now, whether he did so because he knew he was up to his hips in trouble...or he was just protecting his wife at that point remains to be seen. It's certainly possible that I'm reading more into it than is there. I'd rather be wrong about this one.

-I had the chance to do some fill-in news anchoring at KTRS last night. I ran into Station Manager Craig Unger in the hallway and asked him why "The New and Improved Big 550" would put up billboards all over St. Louis and mention nothing on them about being the new home of Cardinals baseball. He said the station has teamed with Schupp Advertising on the campaign that will include billboards, TV, and bus-boards before it's over. He told me to "stay tuned" that some pretty interesting and clever additions to the campaign will be rolling out in the next few weeks. He also told me that because the station has a new lineup of talk hosts, they would not carry any of the Cardinals pre-season games that are played on weekdays. But, they will do something kind of interesting. Occasionally, at the discretion of the hosts, they may pick up some of the play-by-play for an inning...half-inning...or maybe just an Albert Pujols at-bat. This might be good...might backfire...in my mind. Cardinal fans may feel a little bit "teased" by that sort of thing. And you don't want to tease those die-hard Redbird faithful.

-I was sorry to see that Maureen "Mo" Woodrome has resigned her post as Executive Director of the Belleville Chamber of Commerce. I've enjoyed my dealings with her, and she is a classy person. She brings a lot of instant credibility to whatever she does. It's no accident that membership in the Chamber is up significantly in her couple of years at the helm. It will be difficult to find someone to fill her shoes, although Kathy Kaiser, who does excellent work already for the Chamber, would be a good choice. Best of luck to Mo in whatever her next challenge turns out to be.