Tombits

-Can the Cardinals be as bad, or the American League as good, as what we've seen in the last week? If so, it's time to start getting worried, at least about what would happen in the World Series if the birds made it that far. I still think Walt Jocketty will pull a deal or two before the trade deadline to, hopefully, stabilize the ship.

-It's no secret that John Davidson will be running the show for the new Checketts regime at Savvis Center. I'm hearing that he and former Blues star Brendan Shanahan are friends, and that might bring Shanny back to StL for an encore. Do you think that would generate some much-needed ticket sales?

-Busting my buttons over son Stewart's scholarship award. He's entering his final year at DePaul U's Theatre School in Chicago and was awarded a handsome scholarship by the faculty. We're so proud.

-I enjoyed a nice chat with Congressman Jerry Costello Saturday night after the Grizzlies game. We both agreed that Rich Sauget, Tony Funderburg and the Grizzlies operation have become a major part of the summer entertainment scene in Southwestern Illinois. Costello expects much development in the area surrounding GCS Ballpark in the coming years as a result.

-The US soccer team went out with a whimper in the World Cup. But, as I wrote in a previous post, very few people seemed to really care, or be upset. Soccer still needs to take a more prominent place in our sports consciousness as a nation before our World Cup team's fortunes are considered a big deal.

-Superman is back in the theaters...and some are saying he seems too gay this time around. Boy, that would really put some people in a lather if the "man of steel" were to be more interested in Jimmy Olsen than Lois Lane. What do they expect from a guy who wears tights and a cape?

-Clinton, Missouri. It's the town 60 miles southeast of KC where the Elk's building collapsed, killing a man and injuring nine others. We were there for a wedding a few years ago. Nice little place that features a town square that looks like it's right out of the 19th century. You know, a courthouse in the middle...a little park around it...and a business district that surrounds the courthouse on all sides. It reminded me of the town square in the Back to the Future movies. Unfortunately, the buildings apparently need a little updating.

-While the Cardinals were getting their lunch handed to them again last night, I flipped it over to the College World Series championship game on ESPN. I wound up watching most of the game and it was an example of why college sports, in some cases, can be so much more entertaining and compelling than the pros. It was a close game. There were a lot of human interest angles behind the scenes. And an unprofessional play wound up being the difference in the game. An error by the North Carolina second-baseman on a routine play in the eighth inning wound up costing them the national title. Eventual champion Oregon State's coach has a developmentally disabled son who came charging out of the stands to hug his dad on the field after the final out. College sports, much more so than pro sports, tends to be about people...not the money. That's why often times it's the best there is.