Hummel: Sports Journalist

It was Thursday, December 17th 1981. It was the day after I worked hosting a remote broadcast for WIBV radio at Fischer's restaurant on West Main street in Belleville. There was a fair amount of snow on the ground that day. And whenever there was snow, the Belleville radio station was a busy place. School closings, meetings cancelled, and snow-related ads and announcements dominated the airwaves. For those who don't remember. the station was the major full-service radio station in the metro-east..much like KMOX was to the entire market at the time. I had worked at the station for eight-plus years by then with on-air and management responsibilities in programming. Late in the morning, I received a phone call from Rick Hummel that surprised and excited me. More on that in a moment.  

Background: I had recommended to Norm Greenberg, our general manager, that we do a live broadcast from the Belleville Area College Express fundraising event at Fischer's because Whitey Herzog was to be the keynote speaker. Whitey was a major player in the sports news of the day and had put together a trade deal with the San Diego Padres to acquire Ozzie Smith in exchange for Garry Templeton. (We all know now how that turned out.) Tempy had become an outcast to Cardinal Nation because of several behavioral issues he was responsible for, and Whitey was not going to put up with him any longer. However, there was a hang-up in the deal that required the Padres and Ozzie to sign off on some things to complete. I told Norm that if we could get permission, we should broadcast the White Rat's speech because he was likely to say something newsworthy. And, boy, did he.

It just so happened that this evening event at Fischer's fell on the same day as Whitey's mother's funeral. I was told that Mr. Herzog had been at a family gathering most of the afternoon which included food, and apparently, plenty of Anheuser-Busch product. Let's just say that, to his credit, Whitey showed for the speaking engagement, but was obviously in a physical and mental condition to "let it fly" when he got to the podium. In fact, one of the first things he said after seeing that we were there with a live broadcast was a not-suitable-for-broadcast comment about not being advised of a radio presence. Once he got going, he didn't hold back on anything. Of course, most of his comments, and answers to audience questions, were about the pending Smith/Templeton situation. 

The Hummel Call: Rick was the beat reporter for the Post-Dispatch covering the Cardinals. Of course, that's something that eventually gained him access to Cooperstown, the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame, and many other accolades in the sports journalism business. In those days, the Post was an evening paper and the St. Louis Globe-Democrat was the morning paper of the market...still a pretty competitive situation. I had met Rick a few times at the stadium before, and had a few conversations, but that was about it. So, when he called the station that December morning and asked to speak with me, I had no idea why. The conversation went something like this: 

Hummel: "I hear you broadcast Whitey's speech last night. Is that right?" 

Me: "Yeah..we did. It was something." 

Hummel: "I understand he said some pretty quotable things."

Me: "You bet he did."

Hummel: "Did you happen to record it?"

Me: "We sure did. I figured it might be worth saving." 

(These were the days before digital and we had recorded everything on a 10" reel-to-reel tape.)

Hummel: "Well, I would like to listen to it to get some quotes for a story. But, with the snow, I don't think I want to drive over to Belleville. Could you set me up to listen to it?" 

I could tell he thought this was important stuff, and had been made aware of some of what Whitey had said the night before. As the supreme journalist he was, he wasn't going to let it go un-reported on his watch. Remember, he was the beat reporter covering the Cardinals. And, if he wrote something that Whitey was going to be unhappy with, he might jeopardize his relationship with the manager, who was also general manager, and the team. I set up a playback of the recording in a separate studio...put a telephone handset in front of a speaker...and I imagine Rick was on the other end with his notepad for an hour-and-a-half. 

Later that day, making the deadline for print, the Post-Dispatch sports section headline was: Herzog: Cards Can't Win With Tempy. I kept the paper headline as a souvenir of this interaction with the Commish. 

The quote from Whitey that made national headlines was included in the story. Hummel didn't ignore it to preserve his relationship with the Cardinals. He reported what was said: "When I came here, I said he (Templeton) had the greatest talent in baseball. But I can't win a pennant with that boy. There's no way I can do it."   

Of course, the boy part of it took it to a whole different level from a national and cultural perspective. And, the national news wires...AP, UPI etc. picked up Rick's story and it became national headlines for days after. It was obvious after that night, and Rick's story, that Templeton was not going to be a Cardinal anymore whether or not the Ozzie trade would be consumated. 

When I heard of Rick Hummel's passing, I immediately was transported back to that moment that we interacted on the phone and became part of the Whitey/Smith/Templeton transaction from a journalistic standpoint. The Commish was a kind and gentle man. But don't be fooled. He was a strong, determined and fierce journalist when it came to getting the truth for his readers. His kind are getting more rare as time goes by.

My last conversation with Rick was at last year's St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame enshrinement banquet where he received the Greg Maracek Award for outstanding contributions in the media. As always, he was eager to talk to me about the Blues and my life. Little did I know his life was nearing its end.

I could not write a tribute any better than his colleagues at the Post have already written. And I won't try. But I thought this story about his journalistic integrity was worth remembering.     

David Freese and Venice Beach

First off, congratulations to David Freese, Max Lanier and Jose Oquendo for being elected to the Cardinals Hall of Fame. My David Freese story is more about how he played a major role in one of the most magical experiences I have ever had as a lifelong Cardinals fan than anything else.

The Blues schedule had a hole in it late in October of 2011 that allowed time for Barb and I to travel to southern California to visit our son Stewart who lived there then. A bit of SoCal enjoyment and family time was the focus of the trip. It just so happened to be at the same time as the World Series between the Cardinals and Texas Rangers. Normally, my priority would be to be around St. Louis for a Cards series. But the trip was planned well in advance. 

On the Thursday of game 6 of the series, Barb and Stew planned a visit to Venice Beach and the boutiques and beachfront stores near the ocean for a day of shopping, sight-seeing and food. I tagged along. As the day wore on, I knew that the crucial game 6 (with the Cards down 3 games to 2) was going to start late afternoon Pacific Time (7 Central). So, having had enough of the tourist activity, and wanting to watch the game somehow, I broke off from the group and walked into what looked like an inviting sports bar along Pacific Avenue, a block or so from the beach boardwalk. 

The establishment (can't recall the name) was a combination sports bar and upscale restaurant. It featured a long bar with several good- size (remember this is 2011) television screens high on the wall behind the bar. A dining area with some 40 tables sat back away from the bar. I took a seat at the bar and ordered a beverage in anticipation of the start of the game. Not long after, a younger gentleman sat down at the seat next to me. We struck up a conversation as it appeared he was there for the same purpose. Turns out he was in SoCal on business, lived in Dallas, and stopped in to watch his Rangers win the series. (Or so he thought). 

It was late on a Thursday afternoon in the LA-area and there were just a few patrons in the bar as game six got underway at 7:06 St. Louis-time. As you may recall, the game was a back and forth affair with each team scoring a run here, two there, and as the game went on my new Rangers-fan buddy grew more and more confident and asked if I wanted to bet on the outcome. I'm not a betting guy, but I said I'd buy him a drink if the Rangers won, and he would do the same for me if the Redbirds won it. Deal. 

Of course, there was a lot of trash-talking as the game swung back and forth. But when the Rangers plated 3 runs in the 7th inning to take a 7-4 lead my friend started his celebration and asked if I wanted to buy him that drink. I was not ready to concede. As the game went on, the place filled up with the after-work crowd and those who made dinner reservations. By the 7th inning, the place was almost packed and even the normally blase' California sports fans could see that a classic baseball game was happening..and everyone was into it. 

With Texas up 7-5 going into the bottom of the 9th my bet was looking pretty sad. But, as you know if you're a Cardinals fan, the magic was about to hapopen. With 2 on and 2 out, and the Rangers one out away from their first World Series title, the bar was like a California earthquake when Freese strokes the triple to right field to tie it at 7. But then Texas plates 2 in the top of the 10th and my friend starts celebrating again. What an unbelievable game this is! Down to their last out again, Lance Berkman comes up to knock in 2 in the bottom of 10 to knot it up at 9. Amazing...I thought I must be dreaming!  

By this time everybody in the place was glued to what some have called the greatest World Series game of all time. Cards veteran pitcher Jake Westbook holds the Rangers scoreless in the top of the 11th to set up David's heroic and unforgettable night. Freese blasts the first pitch of the home team's half of the inning to center-field as Joe Buck...ready with a tribute to Jack..announces "We will see you tomorrow night!" just as the ball hits the terrace beyond the fence. 

I jumped around like a little kid. My new friend did not...face in his hands. Barb and Stewart had re-joined me after their shopping excursion for dinner and we all celebrated together. The four-hour-and-thirty-three minute baseball game for the ages had set the Venice Beach bar into a frenzy. And that drink the Rangers fan bought me tasted so very special. He had to admit it was a pretty awesome game..aside from a terrible heartbreak.   

Even though I couldn't have been much farther from the action...some 2,000 miles away...I enjoyed this baseball game, and the way the usually disinterested SoCal sports fans enjoyed it too, about as much as any game I have ever watched on television. Of course, the Cardinals clinched their 11th world championship the next night in game seven. 

It was an unforgettable, totally amazing, and almost surreal experience for this Cardinals fan. That magical night alone, in my humble opinion, qualified David Freese for the Cardinals Hall of Fame.  

Is That PA Announcing?

It's okay to call me "old school" after reading this...if that makes you feel better. And, you might also say the same about Al Michaels. We're both veterans of broadcasting and being around sports teams our whole lives. And, neither of us is a young man anymore. 

Al had a problem with the Rams PA guy as he was broadcasting the game on Amazon Prime (weird for me to write that) Thursday night. You can read all about Al's take on the Rams game presentation here. A bit of research tells me the Rams PA announcer is a fellow named Sam Lagana (photo #2). Now, I have no particular gripe with Mr. Lagana as he is likely following orders on how he should be doing the job. There is no doubt that whomever is in charge of game presentation at SoFi Stadium for Stan-the-Sham's squad has encouraged poor Sam to "hype it to the max". If this is just Sam's style, I then blame the team for hiring him in the first place. I'm sure they knew what they would be getting if so.   

My issue is that a PA announcer should NOT be a cheerleader over the PA system. And he/she/they should certainly not be screaming stuff over the system throughout the entire game. That's what some pro teams have decided is the role of the guy at the microphone, and that's what you get from the Rams. The days of Jim Holder elegantly and eloquently informing fans of the situation at key moments along the way, as he did for the Football Cardinals and St. Louis Rams, have disappeared into the mist.

If a team wants cheerleading, they would do better to follow the lead of the Blues. We have a DJ fire up the crowd with announcements and music from time to time. In-game hosts also do that along the way. And we have actual cheerleaders too. I am allowed to make the announcements important to the game at stoppages in play...or just after a goal or penalty. It's a dignified approach. But, I guess, who cares about dignity anymore?

If I were a Rams fan anymore, I would loathe the idea of attending a game at which somebody screams over the PA system all game long. Maybe that works in LA? Doubt if it would in St. Louis. While they have our former team, and a multi-billion dollar facility in Inglewood, they also have a kindergarten approach to game presentation. Some fans actually come to games to enjoy the sport. 

OK...go ahead and call me "old school".

It's Not the Same

There's little argument that in the current internet environment that our population is more informed than ever. However, being informed and being educated are totally different things. Information is coming at everyone from everywhere. Unfortunately, most of it is not worth much. It takes an educated individual to be able to determine what part of that information has value. 

One sees many others calling for more young people to go the trade school route. There's nothing wrong with that. We need more trades people. And many high-school graduates are cut out for something less than a college degree. But you also hear voices discounting the need for a formal education. They essentially are saying that many degrees, after years of heavy investment, are worthless. Let's pump the brakes on that for a few minutes.

If we, as Americans, want our country to continue to be a world leader, we had better have folks educated in all of the various disciplines provided by a college education ready to lead. If, instead, we want people who have no background in the various core-curriculum offerings of a college bachelors degree to be our leaders...well, you will get what you get. We are bombarded every day with information provided by "every day experts" online. Do they consider themselves experts? Maybe. Are they? Not unless they've put in the time and study to be one on the topic. 

The concern I have in writing this is that we are becoming increasingly influenced by information that is more emotional expression than scholastic. If one involves themselves in social media in almost any form, you see it constantly. One sees memes and statements of political position that are entirely based on a one-sided, and usually uniformed, view of the world. Opinion-based information is dominant online, and becoming more prevalent in traditional media as well. A strong background of widely-accepted knowledge is necessary to evaluate these presentations. 

Short of a college degree, those who are voracious readers, or seekers of expertise in a field, certainly have the capacity to be intelligent consumers of information as well. We all have highly-intelligent friends whose life experience, and/or appetite for knowledge has separated them from the crowd. But the standard way for young people to be exposed to the humanities, social science, natural science, the arts, math, and other knowledge important to a well-rounded and capable individual, come from more than experiences and family-and-friends fed opinions.  

The dumbing down of America is happening. All we have to do is compare ourselves to the achievements of those in other countries in almost every field. The lack of emphasis on effective teaching and learning at the elementary and secondary level is frightening. This, in my opinion, leads to the vulnerability of the population to radical influences and underachievement of our youth. Being an intellectual consumer of the vast amounts of communication presented in 2022 is important to whether we will have children who can, and will, lead America effectively in 2042. 

Journalism Death Spiral

When I took a journalism course at SIUE, as part of my mass-communication program, there were many reasons to study it and many legitimate uses and outlets for the knowledge. Things are changing...and not for the better of our country and society in general. 

Google journalism and you will get this definition- the activity or profession of writing for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or preparing news to be broadcast.

Newspapers? Nobody younger than 70 reads them anymore. Magazines? Pretty much the same story there. Websites? There is precious little actual journalism that matters going on there. Broadcasting? News broadcasts on radio and TV are foreign territory to people under 40. As we say frequently in the mass-comm classes I teach at SWIC, "The internet changed everything." As part of that..."Social media changes everything even further." 

Commonsensemedia.org says--Teens get their news more frequently from social media sites (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) or from YouTube than directly from news organizations. More than half of teens (54%) get news from social media, and 50% get news from YouTube at least a few times a week. 

So, it doesn't take much to believe traditional media is in big trouble. Small town newspapers are going out of business every day. "Mom and pop" radio stations that actually cover local news can't make money and most have been sold off to some church or gone dark long ago. Websites that offer an attempt at journalism like the New York Times and Washington Post are owned by big media conglomerates and usually fall into presenting a liberal or conservative agenda to carve out a profitable audience. The television networks, both cable and broadcast, are bending to the same approach. More locally, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (StLToday.com) and Belleville News-Democrat (bnd.com) have pay-walls, low subscription rates, and awful staffing issues that make it difficult to find anything approaching journalistic excellence. 

Part of the mission in journalism, and this is no revelation, is the watch-dog function. Keeping an eye on the government goings-on and activities of elected officials is key to how we operate in America. How many people have you heard lately say.."I'm going to the city council meeting because I'm interested in making my voice heard and watching my city council person vote when it comes to making decisions." Not many I'll bet. So having reporters (print and broadcast), columnists, and show-hosts, involved in the process is vital to shining light on it all. 

Social media is just that...social. It has no mission when it comes to truthfulness in disseminating information or investigating government activity. You get what you get...and usually from totally unreliable sources who are attempting to influence the consumer in some way. 

The person, or company, who finds a way to re-invent journalism in a way that's profitable will be a hero in the 21st century. Factual and valuable information written or broadcast in a way that raises the level of public consciousness and awareness is drowning in a sea of worthless messages thrown around on cell-phone apps. Somehow our younger population must also be educated to believe that constantly staring at Tik Tok or other short-burst entertainment options on their phones only makes them more vulnerable to the vultures who would influence them and provides little in the way of societal value.

Some might say the days of 3 television networks, a handful of TV stations per major market, and thousands of local radio and newspaper operations were no bargain. They might say people are more informed than ever with internet information available at one's fingertips all the time. My response would be, "But what is the real value of that information? Has it been vetted for credibility? Did anyone bother to get the other side of the story? Did the source of the information actually do some homework...or just offer a personal opinion?" 

Real journalism matters; otherwise those with evil intentions and personal agendas have the upper hand. There's a reason freedom of the press was given constitutional protection in the early days of this country. My fear is there is a dwindling "professional press" to enjoy that freedom and provide a valuable product to America. 

A Shooting Star

Back in May, Barb and I were excited to make the drive to the Kansas City area to pick up a new addition to our Chihuahua group. After the pandemic pause, and the fact that we didn't really have any dogs suitable for showing anymore, Barb had indicated to our breeder friend Kathy Hulstein, of Sioux Center, Iowa that we would be interested in one of a litter of puppies that she was expecting. 

Kathy has the resources to go beyond the normal selection process when it comes to breeding matches. So she had acquired some Chihuahua stock from a line in Russia that was beginning to produce for her. The Russian line tends to have a bit of a different look, and features a sturdiness to the body that we rarely see in the U.S. When Kathy's latest match produced puppies in March, she informed Barb that there was a female in the group that she was willing to send our way. When we saw the puppy photos, Kathy didn't have to do much sales work.

When we picked up this little girl, it was love at first sight. We kicked around a number of different names that we thought might work given her Russian background. We settled on Sacha....(Sah-shuh) Many people of eastern European heritage use Sacha, as a unisex nickname or given name. Often it is a nickname for Alexander, Alexandra, or Alexa. The AKC registration name for the tiny one would be Victory Sacha Joy at Wee Scotch. Victory-for Kathy's kennel designation...and Wee Scotch for our kennel. Sacha Joy...get it? 

This mostly black with white markings little one fit into our group at home right away, after a short "get acquainted and comfortable" period. We quickly realized that she was constucted a bit differently than our other Chi friends. She was also more quiet..and wouldn't bark at just anything like the others. She grew quickly to be the most sturdily-built Chihuahua that we had ever had in our group. Like most puppies, she was curious, adventurous, and anxious to explore and learn about the world she was in. 

Beginning in July, Barb started working with her as a show dog. She went to some training classes put on by the Jefferson County (MO) Kennel Club in Arnold. This was not her favorite activity. But, after a while, she grew less nervous, and started to come around to the behaviors important to performing well in the show ring. Barb did some patient work with her in our open driveway area at the house as well. 

Barb then entered Sacha in some late Summer/early Fall all-breed shows at the Purina Event Center in Gray Summit, MO. This happened as soon as she became eligible to show at 4-6 months old. The little one did OK...but not great. It seemed she also would have to fight the battle that dark-colored Chihuahuas face. Show judges seem to prefer light-colored Chis even though there is no standard in the breed that indicates they should. To us, it seems there's a prejudice there that the dark-colored animals have working against them. But, to us the show experience is almost more of a social event than something to get all competitive about anyway. 

The plan for Sacha was to have some fun showing her, hopefully develop her show ring skills to the point of acquiring her AKC championship, and then perhaps pair her up with a boyfriend to produce some puppies and a legacy for her, us, and Kathy's venture into Russian breeding.

All of that seemed in order until Thursday, Barb's birthday. 

Sacha had occasionally threw up at night. We didn't think that unusual as puppies tend to do that until their systems mature. But Thursday she began to throw up more frequently to the point of Barb scheduling a vet appointment for Friday morning. But Thursday night, as we were trying to sleep, the little girl started throwing up or retching every 10 or 15 minutes. Barb suggested we get up and take her to Veterinary Specialty Services, a 24/7 emergency clinic that we are lucky to have nearby in Manchester, MO. So at around 2am we packed up Sacha for the trip just to be sure nothing major was amiss. Little did we know it would be something very major.

Without going into all the details, the doctors determined that Sacha had developed a blood clot in her intestines that was creating a blockage. What caused the problem? The vets had no explanation except that it was probably some sort of unknown blood disorder. We were asked if we wanted to have surgery performed to take out the clot and that part of her intestine that was dying because of it. Of course, we did. The doctors kept us informed every step of the way as the surgery was being performed. And, at one point, it seemed like she would come through and be fine after a few days at the animal hospital. It would be a costly, and scary, time for a while. But we would get through it.   

But then came the awful news in another call that she had thrown a blood clot that went to her brain and stopped her breathing. As you might guess, we were devastated that our little star was not going to come home. The vets said they would keep her alive artificially until Barb and I could make the 45 minute drive to VSS to say our goodbyes. Sacha had come into our lives only a little over four months ago...taken hold of our hearts...and now was gone. It all seemed so unreal...and unfair.

Obviously, I can't write a happy ending to this story. I wish I could. This should not happen to precious little animals who are so loved and cherished. This should not happen to people like us who so fiercely love our little Chihuahua friends. But, as this episode in our lives makes so abundantly clear, there are no guarantees in life. And we must learn to treat each day with people and animals we love as a special blessing...and not take for granted that they will be with us the next day. 

Sacha's legacy is that for us...every day, every person, every special little friend will be loved each day to the max. She was Sacha joy! Our only consolation is that we did the best we could for this little star who shone very bright for us, but for a much too short time. Run and play in heaven little Sacha until we meet again. 

Bright Hockey Future

In recent days I have thought a lot about how far St. Louis has come with its hockey presence in the world since I became involved with the Blues. I started thinking about it while working the PA for the PWHPA (Profession Women's Hockey Players Association) Dream Gap Tour games that were played May 16 & 17 at Centene and Enterprise. 

Those rosters were dominated by women from the northern U.S., but Jincy Dunne, who played for Ohio State and the women's national team, represented O'Fallon, MO. And goaltender Alex Cavallini has relocated to St. Louis to work with her goaltending coach. Not all that long ago, women's hockey was barely a blip on the sports radar. Now, with good reason, it has advanced to the point of being thought of as a viable professional-level sports offering. And you can bet that St. Louis girls will become prominent as women in this sport before long. 

In taking a brief survey of the extended rosters of the 31 NHL teams, I found not only the obvious names connected to St. Louis but several I was not aware of who are under contract. I might have missed a few. For that I apologize in advance. But here are the players who have obvious connections to St. Louis and youth hockey in our region-- 

Columbus- Josh Dunne, Ryan MacInnis / Dallas- Ben Bishop / Detroit- Chase Bradley / Nashville- Luke Kunin / Tampa- Jack Finley, Pat Maroon, McKade Webster / Arizona- Clayton Keller / Minnesota- Dakota Mermis / Blues- Luke Opilka / Boston-Trent Frederic / Islanders- Scott Mayfield / Rangers- Austin Rueschhoff / Calgary- Matthew Tkachuk / Ottawa- Brady Tkachuk / Toronto- Joseph Woll / Winnipeg- Adam Lowry (born here-raised in Calgary), Paul Stastny 

When I started with the Blues in 1987 the NHL was totally dominated by Canadians. There were a few U.S.-born players around and a few Europeans. Having someone at the professional level from anywhere south of Chicago was extremely rare. Now we have high-level pros who call sunbelt cities their hometown including Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs who was born in California but grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona watching Coyotes games.  

Combine the existence of more ice sheets that have previously not existed and the early efforts of Blues alumni and other dedicated mentors who have worked to grow the sport in recent decades, and you have the answer to the question..."why have so many St. Louis kids hit the professional level in the last several years?" By adding Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights and Maryville Hockey Center in Chesterfield to the mix in recent years the growth among our area youth will likely explode to even greater heights.

We also have several area colleges and universities dressing high-level teams in the sport giving local players the opportunity to grow with the sport as they continue their education. This also exposes the sport to many people through their connections to these schools.  

A few years ago the Blues began calling our region The Heartland of Hockey. It's obvious that this is becoming more true with every passing day. As I head into the latter years of my life, I surely don't have to worry about the growth of the sport of ice hockey in the St. Louis region in what's left of the 21st century.  

Pujols Return Not in the Cards

So it appears the 10-year deal that Albert signed with the Angels wasn't all that heavenly for them as it draws to a close. We kinda thought they might regret it at the time. Albert Pujols, who provided so many wonderful and amazing thrills for Cardinals fans in his earlier days, is to be out on the open market. That is, unless he somehow is claimed off waivers. 

Many fans of the Redbirds will be clamoring for the team to sign Albert back to finish out his career in St. Louis. While that sounds like a fine idea on the surface for sentimental reasons, I think some other, more business-related factors, will get in the way. And that's probably a good thing for the Cardinals team make-up. 

I can't imagine any National League team being all that interested. Albert hasn't been hitting like the Albert of old...or even close...and having him take up a spot on a Cardinals roster without the designated hitter in place just doesn't seem practical. Where would he play? The Cardinals have highly-paid stars at the two positions that seem to make any sense...third and first base. Albert as a once-in-a-while pinch hitter? Doesn't seem like the way he would want to go out. And he has said he wants regular playing time. One of the reasons the Angels cut him loose was because he wasn't being used enough to satisfy his urge to play. Some AL team might like to take a chance and see if he has anything left in the tank as a DH. But he may not want that either. He might hang up the spikes. 

Albert had a great return to Busch Stadium in June of 2019, just after the Blues had won the Stanley Cup. It was great!!! An emotional night with hugs all around and huge ovations for Albert when he came to the plate. Most everyone thought that this would be his St. Louis swan song. Let it be that. He will be welcomed back in St. Louis to get his red jacket some day. Sounds like now that day is much closer than it was yesterday. 

#1 in Our Hearts

 After learning of the passing of Bobby Plager, I thought sitting down and writing a tribute would make me feel better. I hope by the end of this I do. Because hearing of his passing in an automobile accident was like taking a Plager-brothers punch to the diaphragm. You don't get over that very quickly.  

Let me be clear, as much time as I have spent at Blues hockey games since the late 80's, I didn't encounter Bobby nearly as much as I would have liked. But when I did, it was always "smile time". He either had a joke to tell or a story that would light up your day. Getting to see him enjoy the Stanley Cup parade and celebration, and all that went with it, in 2019 will be how I choose to remember him. So, with that in mind, let me tell you a story that I think he would approve. 

Robert Bryant Plager was a very good hockey player for 14 years in the NHL. But it's my belief that his influence and impact on the sport, particularly in St. Louis, is not fully understood. I believe this because of an experience I had in 2008 north of the border. 

In January of 2007 the Blues management surprised me with an on-ice ceremony prior to a Detroit Red Wings game to recognize my 20-year anniversary as the team PA announcer. My wife Barb was invited onto the ice as John Davidson (then President) and Dallas Drake (then Captain) presented me with a few gifts to commemorate the occasion. One of the gifts was a chance to fly on the team charter to anywhere the team would play in the next season. Barb was invited to come along. 

We decided that a trip to Toronto and the chance to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame would be a great idea. It also happened to coincide with our 30th wedding anniversary in January of 2008. So off to Toronto it would be. But let's get back to Bobby. 

The day before the game we were already in Toronto and had a chance to look around the city. Bernie Federko, already a HOFer, was kind enough to get us passes to the Hall of Fame...which is awesome by the way. Kelly Chase recommended a great steak house not far from the team hotel. It wasn't cheap...but it was worth every penny. As we approached the hotel on our walk back from dinner I said to Barb..."I wonder what's going on at the hotel?" "Why?"...she said. "Because there's a big crowd creating a commotion in the lobby for some reason." 

It turned out the reason was Mr. Bobby Plager. 

Bobby had taken some time to travel back to his home area knowing that the Blues would be in town. Bobby's home town is Kirkland Lake, Ontario in the northeastern part of the province. It's not really that close to Toronto, but believe me, the folks from around Toronto know him very well. There must have been a hundred or so people crowded around him in that hotel lobby as he held court. He told stories...most of them family-friendly it seemed...signed autographs, and generally made the crowd happy. I'm sure some were there to catch a glimpse of some of the Blues players. But Bobby was a rock star to that group on that night. You know Bobby...he was just happy to be around hockey people and talk up the Blues. You might have confused him for Gordie Howe or Wayne Gretzky based on the excited behavior of that crowd. I was amazed, and saw our Mr. Plager in a whole new light. 

So to those who think that Bobby was just a St. Louis phenomenon...think again. Hockey fans in Toronto on that night were as thrilled to be around him as we always have been in St. Louis. The Blues organization definitely did the right thing in retiring his number and raising his jersey to the rafters at Enterprise Center...as if there should be any doubt. The hockey world knew all about Bobby Plager. I would hope there's a place in that Toronto Hall for him some day.  

So...that's my Bobby Plager story. Oh there are others, but this one I thought might give him the hockey-world respect he so rightfully deserves. 

I don't feel any better about losing our good friend after writing this. I guess I knew I wouldn't. We all loved him so much....because he always loved us first. Rest In Peace Bob. And we know you'll enjoy those crowds around you in hockey heaven. 

The Passing of a Radio Superstar

-My thoughts upon hearing of the passing of Rush Limbaugh immediately went to a day in the mid-90s. I was working at Belleville station WIBV in the days before Tim Dorsey brought all of the KMOX folks aboard. I was working mornings and also serving as Program Director. The station had become a "minor player with some oomph" in the market with a talk format mostly geared to the Metro-East because of the station's funky AM night-time signal.

In a meeting with our GM at the time, Bill Kniesly, we discussed that the Rush Limbaugh show was available to St. Louis market stations. We agreed to give it a listen to see if we thought it would fly in this market. Rush already had a reputation for being somewhat outlandish and we weren't sure if our listeners could handle him.

I got the satellite coordinates and dialed up his show for an audition. I had not ever heard Rush before. After listening to the first hour of his show that day, I went in to get Bill. I told him..."You have to hear this. And we have to carry this show." I had no interest in, and really didn't care about, the political position presented at that time. I just told him that it was the most well-produced and entertaining radio talk show I had ever heard. There was a laugh every few minutes...some politically-based...some not. It was a talk show that sounded a lot like an old DJ-based show because of the production values. He had a music bed for all of his regular features...Clarence "Frogman" Henry and "Ain't Got No Home" for the Homeless Update comes to mind.

We signed a contract and carried it for several years until the call came one day that Rush, and his EIB network, had made a deal with KMOX. That was astonishing to us as KMOX had promoted itself in the years before as having all "locally-produced" programming in a shot at syndicated shows. Rush broke that ice.

Rush, having grown up in Cape Girardeau, knew very well how KMOX was the "big dog" in the St. Louis market. It was about this time (in my humble opinion) that Rush's show changed from a fun 3-hours to one of mostly politics spiced up with his catch-phrases and political rants.

One thing is for certain Rush, and a few others, have dominated network radio and have kept AM radio on the map for the early part of the 21st century. Who fills that void? It will be interesting to see if anyone can. RIP to Rush Limbaugh - a radio legend.

The Media Conundrum

Let's see if I have this right. 

When someone (let's call him John) posts an outrageous, hurtful, obviously crazy, tastelessly vulgar, or over-the-top political statement on social media, often John will be unfollowed or unfriended by the person receiving it. That is unless the person receiving it has a really good reason for remaining friends with John. (Business connection/family/neighbor etc.) Am I on track so far? 

If that's true, John will, over time, lose many of the friends/followers who aren't interested in John's ideas, political position, or poor attempts at humor. So, in effect, John eventually is reduced to trying to be funny for, or influence the thinking of, all of the people who are of the same set of beliefs as his. Preaching to the choir etc. So, then John would be posting for his own gratification and a relatively small number of others who "like" his posts. Or, at least, smaller than John thinks or would like.   

But, if John has enough friends/followers who buy what he is selling on social, then there's value in being an "influencer" of those people, however many there may be. What, then, becomes the value of a John post? Not much to John...but to some other entity that wants to appeal to John's group. 

John has acquired the ability to channel a smallish group of people to another website/platform etc. that is interested in promoting something. That could be a product or service...but often it's beliefs. People of the same set of beliefs, likes and dislikes, tend to be "funneled" to platforms that solidify their own ideas or wants and would like to inspire them to act in some way. Sometimes that can be good when someone is looking to purchase a particular product...or connect with a group of old friends. But it also is used for the promotion of sinister ideas and activities. And there is very little regulation of this mechanism.  

This phenomenon begins to mirror what is going on with today's mass media. People watch the news channel or network that reflects their own beliefs about right and wrong, liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, radical or moderate and so on. The channel or network has ratings and surveys that tell them who is watching and why. They feed their beast by presenting news and commentary slanted toward their viewer base. The viewer base grows or declines depending on how well their particular animal is fed. 

So...the social media funnel works to separate us all into groups of like-minded people. While the networks and cable/satellite channels are in the business of the same and taking advantage of those different groups. 

Is it any wonder that our country is so horribly divided on so many things these days? All of the devices in our hands, on our desks, and in our living rooms, kitchens and bedrooms are in the business of promoting ideas that cause us to dislike one another, and be segregated, for any number of reasons....unless you religiously watch the Hallmark channel and ignore your smartphone. 

Somehow we must understand that we are being channeled into groups of people that are unlike one another on purpose. It's a natural effect of the way social media and mass media are currently making money. And they won't change unless they no longer make money at it. 

We must fight the urge to be manipulated and influenced in this way! Believe what you want...but also have kindness and compassion for fellow humans...no matter how they look, how they act, where they live, or what they believe. Not part-time...but always.  

My thoughts here won't influence many. But if enough of us choose love over hate, common decency over radical ideas, acts of kindness over acts of destruction, and refuse to be manipulated by mass or social media, we will come out of the current dark tunnel of hateful pressure into a new light on the other side. I believe our future as a country seen as the world's beacon of democracy depends on it. 

Thanks for reading.

The Man

 -On the occasion of his 100th birthday, I thought it appropriate to remind as many people as possible what kind of person "The Man", Stanley Frank Musial, was. Especially in the often bitter and rancorous climate of today's world, he can provide a model of how one should approach life among others. 

He was dubbed "The Perfect Knight" upon his retirement in 1963. Why? Let's examine the ways that he endeared himself to the world.  

• Beside being one of the greatest players to ever walk onto a baseball diamond, he met everyone with a smile and treated them with respect. 
• His graceful movements on the playing field were only exceeded by his innate grace off of it. 
• The accounts of his welcoming efforts to players of color, at a time when it took great courage to do so, are well-documented. 
• He was a devoted family man who was married to wife Lil for over 70 years. 
• A shrewd businessman, he was Cardinals GM for a time and famously operated Musial and Biggies restaurant where it was cool "to be seen". 
• He rose from humble beginnings (working summer jobs during the off-season early in his career) to great fame and some fortune...but always remained humble and approachable.
• Former teammates, stadium-workers, family, friends and acquaintances gush about Stan and how he loved life every day. They say he never turned down an autograph-seeker or someone who wanted a photo with him. And he always had his harmonica ready to favor a crowd with "Take Me Out to the Ballgame".  

How many people have lived a long life after which not a single person can come up with something bad to say about them? This is true with Musial. No tell-all books here. Also notice that his baseball accomplishments, which are truly some of the greatest of all-time, are not the focus here.  

Sadly, it seems being a "good guy" has gone out of favor in 2020. If only those in powerful positions in America could be wise enough to understand the kind of person people love to follow. If only our young people, who find it easy to be critical of others in our social media-driven climate, would study a person of such dignity. I believe Musial 101 should be a core-curriculum course at all colleges and universities. And, that is no joke. 

I truly believe that this man of baseball, who was my hero as a boy and example as a man, could show us all the way to live an honorable life, even though he's gone. The Musial statue outside Busch Stadium could not possibly be made large enough. 

Post-Election Thoughts

 As of today, there will apparently be a new administration occupying the White House for the next four years. This post is not to celebrate, or denigrate, what the nation's voters have decided. If you are hoping for someone to validate your political position, this is not the place. 

For the entirety of my adult life I have chosen to be as ambiguous as possible regarding political leanings. For someone who studied journalism, and decided early in life to make broadcasting a career, I felt it served no purpose to advertise political preferences. Obviously, some in the broadcasting business, over the last number of years, have made a lot of money doing just that. Perhaps my choice was a bad one. But I have always felt that any broadcaster worth their salt should do his or her level best to respect all of the audience by presenting both sides of any issue. That is the ground I chose to stand on. And it has served me well. 

I am not a young man anymore. I have seen politics take on many different colors going back to my earliest exposure to it in the 1960 presidential race between Kennedy and Nixon. Through the tumultuous 60's, and on to today I have experienced many elections and gone back and forth from party to party for most of them. You might say that makes me wishy-washy, or milquetoast. Perhaps that's true. I choose to think of it as being able to make the right decision at the right time...unclouded by ideology or political positioning handed to me by my parents...my friends...or anyone else. 

With this election effectively in the rear-view mirror, I have seen many of my friends on social media...because that is the town hall of today...espouse many crazy notions in an effort to prove their thinking is correct, and their candidate the chosen one. I have been amused by most of it...and also disgusted at the length to which some will go to make a point. Anyone who thinks they might fit into the latter category, please give special attention to the next paragraph. 

If you have viewed this election through blue or red-colored glasses and not given any regard to someone who may be on the other side of the fence, I urge you to come back to the middle of the playing field. I am not sure who first put out this thought...but it's one of my favorites. The most intelligent among us possess the urge to challenge what they know to be true. 

With that thought in mind, I would urge everyone to give more than an ounce of thought to adding other colors to the way you view the world. Our nation is made up of many different ethnicities, lifestyles, income levels, needs, wants, and situations. Living in the United States...and just being called a U.S. citizen...is a wonderful gift to any human. Any one of us could have been born into poverty, unhealthy surroundings, political or social oppression, in another less-free country. We are all fortunate to be able to espouse our political thoughts, and support them vigorously, without being put in jail or executed as might be the case in another country.

My sincere hope is that we all will be able to come together to beat the virus, return to our previous lives, enjoy the company of our friends and family up close, and be a nation less-divided in the coming months and years. I want that for my family of today and years to come. But that will require all of us to challenge, however small the effort, what we know to be true. 
  

Another 2020 Gut Punch

 As I mentioned in a Facebook post, when you have a dog, or in our case dogs, you have to realize that you will experience great joy with their presence, but also awful heartache when they come to the end of their days. Barb and I have now experienced the latter twice in this horrible year. 

As most close to us know, we began the hobby of raising and showing Chihuahuas at AKC regional dog shows a little over 10 years ago. Our first show-quality dog, Woody, came down with a fatal case of stomach cancer in March and we had to relieve him of his agony.

Yesterday (10/28/20) started like any other day for us with our oldest female Blanca helping to wake us up. Since Woody left us, Blanca was our only dog to sleep in our bed. When we began stirring in the morning she would come nudge us and lick our faces to get us moving. After that, the morning routine included her barking and snarling at our four other dogs who sleep in kennels in our bedroom. She would fiercely protect her territory. Then off to potty time outside and doggy breakfast. Another day, same routine. But it would all drastically change without any warning. 

A little background -- We relied on the expertise and breeding skills of Gayle Essex in our early days of acquiring dogs for show. Gayle is a well-known and respected breeder who lived in Iowa a few hours north of Kansas City. Woody was a product of her kennel. So, when we realized it was time to acquire a female for starting our own breeding line, we called again on Gayle. She had several potential females for us to consider back in 2010 so we arranged a meeting along I-29 north of St. Joseph in northwest Missouri to look over the dogs she was making available. 

When we began working with Woody at the Belle-City Kennel Club in Belleville to show him the ropes of the dog show routine, he wasn't that interested. He was timid and didn't really enjoy the whole experience. Some dogs seem to like it. Others not so much. Barb and I thought that our guy was just not feisty enough, or confident enough, to take charge in the ring. So we were looking for a female with more self-assured qualities. 

When we met Gayle she brought out several female puppies who all looked great. But there was one in the group who seemed to have a "take charge" attitude. She didn't want the others to mess with her and she let them know it. I called Barb aside to discuss the situation and suggested that this was the dog that we wanted because of her coloring...but more so because of her attitude. We brought Woody along to meet his potential new friend, but he wasn't picky. We thought that spunk was the ticket if she was going to be bred with our boy back at home. So we decided on "little miss attitude". We decided to name her Blanca because of her mostly white coat.  

Rather than drive home after our meeting, we decided to stay the night in a hotel along the interstate. Memory doesn't serve on which hotel it was. But we couldn't determine if it was pet friendly before booking our room. So we did our best to not advertise that we had two little dogs in our room with us that night. Unfortunately, the attitude was on display fairly regularly during the evening and overnight. Blanca would occasionally bark at noises, and at Woody. But we made it through the night without being asked to leave by management. 

After some training and a few shows it became fairly obvious that Blanca wasn't going to be the show-dog star that we hoped for. She also had a few issues that judges weren't that happy about. For one, she had what is known in the show-dog world as a "snow nose". The coloring of most dogs does not extend into the black of their nose. Blanca's did. And so her nose was not as black as it is supposed to be. She also had confidence issues in the ring that would cause her to have her tail down and seem uninterested in being there. Not good for winning a judge's favor. 

So after a while, Barb and I decided to give her a break from showing. When she came into season, we would let Blanca and Woody make some puppies. That went well when it came to getting her pregnant. But when it came time to whelp, the difficulties of bringing small dogs into the world became all too clear for Blanca, and for us. 

Barb and I set up a special whelping pen in our spare bedroom when Blanca was close to delivering. We followed all the instructions that Barb could find on-line, in books, and from our friends in the Chihuahua show world. Blanca was huge. And when we had x-rays taken prior to the big day we were told to expect at least four, maybe five, puppies in this litter. 

When the big day arrived and Blanca went into labor, Barb was with her the whole time. We had our vet on stand-by if needed. Blanca started pushing out puppies and by the time the whole thing was over almost a day later, five puppies were born but only three survived. One of the three turned out to have a heart defect and only lived several weeks. Not unusual for a multiple birth in small dogs. Barb actually had to pull one of the still-born puppies from the birth canal. One of the little ones, Belle we called her, turned out to have some not-so-great traits for a show dog. So we found her a pet home. That's always a difficult decision, but we make sure the fit is right.   

The last puppy to be born was brought into the world with some medical intervention provided by our veterinarian at that time, Dr. Jeff Clinebell. The last one out of the chute was a little tri-colored boy we decided to keep. We named him Stanley. Blanca's birthing torture was finally over after about a full day of labor. Stan also turned out to not quite be star-quality for showing...but he has endeared himself to us. We had him neutered, and we still have him in our group at home. 

Stanley is now the last living example of our decision to pair Woody and Blanca for breeding.

Back to the present. -- Blanca began exhibiting a strange behavior around mid-day Wednesday (10/28). She seemed fine until then...but we could tell she was uncomfortable, unsteady, and just "not right". She didn't seem interested in her mid-day meal (not like her) and so we tried to make her comfortable by separating her from the other dogs and giving her as much comfort (padded bed and blanket) as possible. In early afternoon, things got rapidly worse. As Barb was doing some work nearby, she noticed Blanca gasping for breath. A few moments later, after a very frightened Barb picked her up to comfort her, our little girl stopped breathing altogether. Her life had ended in Barb's arms. 

We don't know exactly what took her. But the best guess is that she had a massive stroke and her brain shut everything down. She would have turned eleven years old on November second. 

These things are never easy. And we aren't taking it well. But we are sure that she had as good a life as any Chihuahua could expect. Plenty of love. Plenty of food, and other creature comforts. Hopefully, Blanca and Woody have become re-acquainted and are running and playing together in the place where all good dogs go. We can only hope. She was a great part of the last 10-plus years of our lives. 

2020 can't be over soon enough.