Follow-Upping

-First things first. Former broadcasting buddy, and the brains behind stlmedia.net, Mike Anderson is going through a rough stretch. His weekend storm damage can be fixed. But, the loss of beloved pet Boy Dog cannot. Both unfortunate occurences made life miserable for my friend this weekend. Mike was so supportive and understanding when we lost our Springer Fergie in July, I wanted to call to offer condolences...but knew that we would both wind up a mess if I did. I'm sure in doggie-heaven "Boy" is singing the praises of the animal-loving Andersons to all of his canine buddies who will listen. In honor of Boy, and at Mike's suggestion, I'm adding links to the Belleville Area, and Metro-East Humane Societies to the links list at the right.

-Thanks to those who've offered advice as to how to approach the apparent attempt to rip me off by an ebay seller that was written about last week. Both comments, one by old friend Matt Gordon, another by Gary, were helpful. As it turns out, I was fortunate enough, (certainly not wise enough) to pay through PayPal which offers a process by which one can report a problem sale and begin a dispute resolution procedure. If, after a reasonable time for both parties to resolve the problem, PayPal's people feel the buyer was "ripped-off", they will refund your money. Since filing a dispute last Friday, the seller has contacted me by e-mail offering to, again, send me a projector lamp...and a little something extra for my trouble. After I demanded it, he also offered to provide a tracking number so the delivery process can be monitored this time. I'll let you know how, and if, things work out.

-Looks like the Cardinals, led by their "urine-weak" pitching, are going into a death-spiral. The World Champions looked anything but after a spanking by the Cubs in Chicago in the make-up of that earlier rain-out. Really good teams rarely lose four-in-a-row at this time of year. But, I guess, our red-feathered friends did it last year before winning it all, didn't they?

-The Gateway Grizzlies found out about the old baseball adage..."Good pitching always beats good hitting" in the Frontier League playoffs. The "Murderer's Row" line-up that manager Phil Warren was able to field all season couldn't outscore the Washington WildThings and Warren's outstanding rookie campaign came to an end with three straight losses. I'm sure it still hurts a bit for Phil. But, he's a smart baseball man and I'm sure will use this lesson when constructing his team in '08.

-I'll be at the Scottrade Center Thursday through Sunday of this week. I'll be on hand to do the p-a announcing for scrimmage games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Then it's the Blues and Atlanta Thrashers for a pre-season tilt on Sunday at 5. Saturday at Scottrade should be fun with all sorts of fan-friendly stuff going on at FanFest from 9am to 5pm.

-I'm thinking that as soon as Rick Ankiel has his day with the folks at the Major League Baseball offices, that he'll come out with more details about his "prescription drug" involvement back in '04. The way I see it, all he has to do is stand up and say "Yeah, I took HGH at the advice of my physician. It was done to help me heal from surgery. It was perfectly legal at the time. Once it became a substance banned by Baseball, I never touched it again. Thank you very much. Have a nice life of your own. I'm going back to take some BP." I can't see how anyone would think he's a terrible cheater in the category of Barry Bonds if he did that.

-Whatever fantasies anyone ever had about Britney Spears were "cold-showered" by that pitiful display at the MTV VMA's. Geez, what made her think she could get away with that? Her once promising entertainment career is likely at it's cellulite-filled end.

-Speaking of those awards, I'm sure the Ultimate Fighting guys are trying to line up a match between Kid Rock and Tommy Lee after their little dust-up. I might even pay to see that one.

Am I Stupid?

-So, about three weeks ago my projector in the home theater starts acting up. After a little diagnosis, I figure out that the bulb is about to shoot craps. Rather than pay full price by buying a new lamp from the manufacturer, I decide to see what I can do on e-bay. I look around a little and find that someone is selling a new bulb for my projector. I see the opening bid and decide it's worth a shot. So, I put in a bid. Lo and behold I win the auction and am a happy camper.

That is until the last few days. Shortly after making my payment (now two weeks ago)..the guy says in an e-mail that he's putting the bulb in the mail...should have it in a couple of days. Nope. A few days later he e-mails again..."Got it yet?" he says. Nope. Now...after a couple of weeks of waiting for my bulb to be delivered and not seeing it. I lose my patience. I e-mail the guy telling him to call me and explain what the hell is going on. No response.

His profile on e-bay gives his name and where he lives...(supposedly) Gus Somebody on Long Island, New York. Only one previous customer who has dealt with him had anything negative to say about the guy so I thought it was a relatively safe deal. I'll admit that I'm no veteran of internet commerce. What are my options? Is there anybody out there able to provide a little advice on how to proceed to either get my money back...or make this guy sorry for stealing? Any recourse through e-bay? Please post a comment if you can help.

Other stuff...

-Rick Ankiel's comeback story is too impossible to be a Hollywood movie script. If you wrote a story like his...nobody would believe it. Two more homers and seven RBI in today's game with the Pirates. Everybody knew he was a good athlete...but who could have imagined this kind of stuff? Certainly not me. But, if he continues to play like he is...I'm picking the Cardinals to win the Central.
******UPDATE--9/7******** I get up this morning to find that the NY Daily News is reporting that Ankiel received a shipment of HGH in '04 from that on-line pharmacy operation in Florida that's been under investigation. Baseball began regulating HGH in '05...so he's probably not in much legal jeopardy....but that probably shoots this feel-good story right in the hindquarters. Now, no matter what Ankiel does, baseball fans will now see him in a much different light....guilty or not. What a bummer!!

-Don't look now...but the Blues first pre-season game is right around the corner. Sunday 9/16 5pm vs. Atlanta. Expect good, if not great, things from Andy's boys this year. And I've heard about a few new-and-different things coming in the game night experience. I'll share as soon as I get the go-ahead. Should be fun.

-Well....what to say about the Grizzlies. Here's a team that tore up the Frontier League opposition all season....made amazing comebacks in many games...and set all sorts of franchise records when it comes to offensive output. But, they now find themselves down 2-0 in games to the Washington (PA) WildThings in their first-round, best-of-five playoff series. And both losses were at home. They only thing you can say now is they are primed for another amazing comeback. Don't put it past these guys. They need to get a little better pitching out of their starters in games 3 and 4. And, if they do, they'll come back home to win game 5 on Sunday.

-It's sad. But it appears his daredevil lifestyle has finally caught up with millionaire adenturer Steve Fossett. The guy has defied the odds for years. When you're flying a small plane around in the windswept mountains of western Nevada and eastern California...you better not lose your concentration. I'm afraid he did. No signals from his two potential distress beacons is another bad sign. Our son Ian encountered Fossett a few times at the spa in Beaver Creek, Colorado (Fossett's current home town) when he worked out there. Said he seemed like a great guy...didn't have his nose in the air like some others with money.

Notebook

Thoughts from the last several days:

-Now that Michael Vick has confessed to the crimes of which he was accused, and a judge will determine how much time he spends behind bars for them, the guy says he has found Jesus. Amazing how that always seems to happen minutes before a press conference or nationally broadcast interview. Amazing!

-Lauren Caitlyn Upton...the 18-year-old who mangled her answer to a question during the speaking portion of the Miss Teen USA pageant... will be over her embarassment soon. Especially when she gets some of the ba-zillion dollars in endorsement deals that are likely to come her way. She is the personification of (please excuse the term) "dumb blonde" and is willing to have fun with her mistake. Big bucks on the way...she'll be all right.

-Nature called at just the right time for me to see the lunar eclipse at 4:55 this morning. When I see such things, it always reminds me how small we are in relation to everything else, and how little time we have in the scheme of things.

-Update on the offspring:
Son Stewart is setting up life in Southern California. He flew out last week and is scheduled to begin rehearsal this week for his lead in dark play or stories for boys at the Theatre at Boston Court in Pasadena. We had a great crowd of friends and relatives for a graduation/send-off party on 8/19. After finding a place to live, and adequate transportation, he'll begin pursuit of his post-collegiate dream.

Son Ian continues writing and recording music with his friends in Bowling Green, KY and Nashville. The group Chassis has now posted a completed song on its myspace page.

Barb and I were thrilled with the turnout for an interior-design seminar hosted by our great advertising client Mueller Furniture in Belleville on Friday night. We coordinated the whole thing and were worried that the early-evening thunderstorms would chase folks away. Fifty signed up...and they all pretty much showed up. And that represented a full house. We had some teriffic presentations and a good time seemed to be had by all. We'll probably do it again within the next 3-4 months. The Mueller Furniture operation is excelling as a family-operated business in a time when big-box stores are shutting down so many others.

-I must admit that I never thought the Cardinals would be in the position they're in this late in the season. Or, at least, I didn't think so after the first couple of months of the season. Everyone says it's Tony LaRussa's best managing job ever...and that's hard to argue against. What I always have to remind myself is that baseball's season constitutes a marathon, not a sprint. Each game is only 1/162nd of the season. A month of games is only 1/6th of the season. The best team tends to be the one that's most consistent...not necessarily spectacular. I still think, though, that the team will see a major overhaul during the coming off-season.

-Wake me up when the NFL pre-season is over. When the games begin to count, I'll write about the Rams. Still the biggest rip-off in sports...the NFL exhibition season.

-Jay Leno seems to be going into cruise control. NBC ran Tonight Show re-runs over the last two weeks. The ratings-obsessed and workaholic Leno previously was reluctant to take even one week off...let along two in a row. The guy might be ready to wind things down in readiness for Conan O'Brien's takeover...even though it's a few years down the road.

-A story in the news today about a KC woman trying to flush her newborn baby boy down the toilet in a McDonald's bathroom has to make you scratch your head.
A) What makes a woman think this way?
B) What makes a woman think she could get away with it?
C) What about "Thou shalt not kill" is ambiguous?

-We should find out soon some of the details of the proposed Collinsville soccer stadium development. Attorney Jeff Cooper, the major force behind the concept, says he wants the public to see details of the plan before Collinsville leaders vote on going ahead with funding proposals on September 10th. Cooper's plan is very ambitious. But then, what exciting plan isn't? The whole idea could go up in smoke if the MLS doesn't grant Cooper an expansion franchise for St. Louis.

United We Score

-I've been keeping an eye on the local group's effort to acquire an MLS (Major League Soccer)team for quite a while. My attention was first drawn to the subject a number of months ago when I wrote on this blog about the ridiculous stance taken by a local sports talk show host. Attorney Jeff Cooper, who is heading the local effort by St. Louis Soccer United to acquire a team and build a new stadium in Collinsville, was told, in so many words, by this nimrod that he was stupid for trying to locate the team in Illinois. "Not many potential ticket buyers will cross the river to support soccer", he was told. Oh boy! This kind of thinking has gotten my blood boiling for as long as I can remember.

When, in Pele's name, are we ever going to get beyond the fact that a river runs through the middle of our metro area? When are Missouri people in this market going to ever get off the "high horse" and realize that the Illinois portion of the St. Louis market is the fastest growing segment of the area...and has much more potential for development and growth than the tapped-out "Show Me" segment? When is the design of our license plates going to stop designating us as "foreigners" on the opposite side of the river from which we live? For the sake of bringing an exciting new sports element to our community and economy, we had better get over it.

Cooper, who unfortunately for me I've never met, is someone with a very real, but very ambitious, dream. The dream now includes bringing not only a pro soccer team to life in our metro, but also a 400-million dollar development to be built just off I-255 near Collinsville. The development includes an 18,500 seat soccer stadium, 300,000 square feet of office and retail space, and some 1,600 homes. Essentially, we're talking about a soccer-themed St. Louis-suburb that would be in Collinsville's jurisdiction.

As for the location, where else in the St. Louis area would you put such a development? The infrastructure is, for the most part, already there at I-255 and Horseshoe Lake Road. It's very centrally-located for most people in this market. But, there will be many who, because it's not in Missouri, will say it's ill-conceived. Yes...just because we're talking about it being in Illinois. No other reason. Parochialism..pure and simple. Please, brothers and sisters of Missouri, get over it.

Many thought locating a minor-league baseball team in Sauget was a disaster waiting to happen. But, my friends, the Gateway Grizzlies have been setting Frontier League attendance records right-and-left since their new stadium opened in '03. "Oh nobody will cross the river to go to one of those games"...the critics said. Well, if you examine who buys tickets regularly, you'll find a goodly portion would be from South County. Other parts of the Missouri side are represented strongly as well. Why? Value. The product and the park are attractive. The concessions are priced fairly. Being right off I-255 makes it accessible to anyone. Crossing a bridge to get to the park isn't as big a deal as the "experts" might think. If "The Cooper Quest" can duplicate the Grizzlies Family, Friends and Fun model, soccer will not only survive, but thrive here...IMHO.

Many Missourians cross a bridge for numerous reasons to find that doing so is well worth it...just as those of us from Illinois have done for years. Eckert's Orchards...school at SIUE or SWIC...The Shrine...Fast Eddie's...Gateway Center...the list goes on. Many things on the Illinois side are not only enjoyable but aren't nearly as far away as perceived for whomever wants to enjoy them. The river tends to be a barrier in our minds, more than in actuality.

I tend to wonder if the leaders in Collinsville will be wise enough to participate in the funding for the project. (They had a chance to have the Grizzlies before they located in Sauget back in '02) Collinsville's loss...Sauget's gain. But if the funding details can be worked out, Collinsville would become the soccer capital of the Midwest...and St. Louis (long touting itself as the soccer capital of the United States) would again have a real opportunity to crow such a marketing line. Yes, St. Louis...not Collinsville...not "over there"...not Illinois...but St. Louis. Note that Collinsville's logo doesn't contain a picture of Abe Lincoln or the Sears Tower...but the Gateway Arch. People in the Metro-East consider themselves as residents of St. Louis, whether Missourians like it or not. We're Cardinals fans, Blues fans and Rams fans too. Whether or not Mr. Cooper's idea for soccer in St. Louis is a good one...and I think it is...the concept shouldn't be shot down by which side of the old river the team chooses to do business.

As far as the sport itself is concerned, you can make your own judgment on that. But soccer seems to me to be inching closer to the point where it's on most people's radar, if not a favorote sport. I think we're one American-born superstar away from the sport busting out. That might be Freddy Adu when he plays in the next World Cup. But, no matter your opinion on the sport or whether you have interest in seeing a game, you have to be pulling for a dreamer like Jeff Cooper, and his associates, to "get 'er done".

As for me, some of my fondest memories as a sports fan come from watching Stars games at Francis Field back in the 70's. The defunct North American Soccer League was one of our country's attempts at taking soccer to the level of interest it holds on the rest of our planet. It didn't work that time. But the product was good. The players were fun to watch. And the atmosphere at those NASL games was the best I've ever seen in sports. It would be nice to think that the St. Louis Soccer United effort would end up providing such a great experience for a new generation of soccer fans and establish an outlet for soccer passion here for decades to come.

On to Tinseltown

-The call came Sunday afternoon at around 1 o'clock. It wasn't entirely unexpected. But it was wonderfully exciting nonetheless.

I was downstairs in the home theater watching the ballgame. All of a sudden there was the sound of someone whooping and screaming uncontrollably upstairs. I could tell it was Barb...but didn't know what to make of it. In the back of my mind...."Is the house on fire?"..."Did someone die?"..."Did a snake come in the house to get out of the heat?"

Then the door to the lower-level popped open far enough to make her rants audible over the sound of the TV.

"Tom....Stewart got the part! Stewart got the part!"

Yes...Stewart Calhoun has been preparing to be an actor...well, since he was able to stand up. And he's known for almost that long that he wanted to do it professionally. But, until that first break comes, a parent can only be supportive and try to help him live the dream. So when the call came Sunday that he had been asked to accept a lead role in a play at the Theatre at Boston Court in Pasadena, California coming up in October...the excitement of the moment was difficult for the old heart to withstand.

Stewart will not suddenly be making the obscene money that so many associate with the entertainment business. In fact, the financial end of his deal is rather minimal. But, the BIG thing is that he is suddenly a bona fide professional actor...and that could open up so many other doors...particularly in the entertainment capital of the world, Los Angeles/Hollywood CA.

Our son will portray Nick...a teenager who gets himself entangled in a web of deceit and imaginary relationships through his chatting on the internet. dark play or stories for boys was written by the enormously gifted Carlos Murillo, who Stewart was fortunate to have as one of his professors at The Theatre School at DePaul University. Stew, and several actor colleagues, collaborated with Mr. Murillo in the development of the characters in the play...no doubt a major factor in helping our guy land the role in SoCal. The project was featured at this year's Humana Festival for new plays in Louisville, Kentucky. Click here for the review.

So now we are facing the mission of relocating Stew from Chicago to "Tinseltown" where he will likely need to be engaged in some of the same activities that we hear other fledgling actors endure...you know...waiting tables, cattle-call auditions, attempting to convince managers and agents to represent you. All of that...and more. He has been told by people he trusts...and we tend to agree...that while he has the look and ability to play teenagers, he should try to break through with those types of roles. Stewart is 22...but as you can see by the photo...can easily pass for much younger.

Barb and I have always believed that our son had a special gift and that somehow he would show it to the world. And, if not the world, enough of it to make himself happy. And that's really all a parent can ask for. If all of you reading this would cross your fingers for him...it certainly couldn't hurt.

Pitch Count, Shmitch Count

I've played, followed, broadcast, p-a announced, and generally been a baseball junky since I can remember. A while back, don't really know when it started, the number of pitches that a pitcher makes in a game became important. The broadcasts follow it closely. The manager and pitching coach totally tuned in to it so they know when they can expect their pitcher to run out of gas. Even the pitcher's agent began using the number of pitches thrown as ammo against the team. "Hey my guy threw 120 pitches last night! What are you trying to do ruin his career?"

Well, if you've been around more than 40 years like me, you know that there was a time when the number of pitches thrown was either not important, or ignored. The number of guys a pitcher got out, and whether he won the game carried a little more importance than today's "quality start".

With that in mind, I've asked this question of some people that I respect who are close to the game and haven't gotten what I feel is a satisfactory explanation. So, I'll ask anyone who's reading this to respond to help out my feeble little brain.

Why don't they keep track of ALL the throws that a pitcher makes on a game night?

On any given night when a man pitches a baseball game he uses his pitching arm many more times than just the official offerings he makes to batters. Think about it. Before the game he needs to warm up. Let's, conservatively, say that he throws 30 pitches to get loose. Then, he goes to the mound before each inning and will usually throw another, at least 8, warm-up pitches. Then there are the pick-off moves to first base...or whatever other base...let's say he throws 10 of those during a seven-inning outing. That's another 96 uses of his arm during seven innings that aren't being counted...at least officially.

But, isn't keeping track of pitches all about how much wear and tear the guy is putting on his arm? If you're keeping track of wear and tear, shouldn't those other throws count too? I can't understand why not. I get it that warm-up pitches might be a little less stressful to the arm than a real "heat-of-the-battle" pitch in a game. But, to me, a pick-off throw should count for two pitches when it comes to arm damage. A pick-off throw is a totally foreign motion to his normal routine. A right-handed pitcher turns to first base and throws across his body. Exactly what you're not supposed to do to eliminate wear and tear during the regular pitching motion.

So, I guess if I were running a TV broadcast, or a pitching coach, I'd have two categories for pitches. A) Batter pitches and B) Non-batter pitches. Because when it comes right down to it, the number of pitches thrown to the batter is only a part of the real total.
For instance, after a 7-inning outing Chris Carpenter (who just had Tommy John surgery because of arm damage) might have this total.

Batter pitches: 102
Non-batter pitches: 96

If that's not important, then why bother keeping track of anything?

Ay or Uh

-One local TV anchor has me bugged. This person...no point naming names...starts every story that starts with the preposition "a"...by pronouncing it "ay". For instance...

"Ay St. Louis man was arrested today". or..."Ay construction crew closed Highway 40"...or "Ay Anheuser-Busch official"....Yes, I've even heard him/her use "ay" when word two starts with a vowel. Baffling.

Always "Ay"...never the more informal and conversational "uh". Is that some ridiculous way of making the story sound more like some sort of official TV presentation in this person's mind? As far as I can tell...this guy/gal is the only local anchor with this particular technique. I assume it's a technique. It just sounds so ridiculous to me. If he/her would stop "presenting" and start communicating on a personal level by reading the news as if he/she were sitting in our living room with us, maybe he/she would have better ratings. Hey buddy/lady, we want people to communicate with us...not at us. Hopefully, if you should happen to read this, you know who you are. If not, TiVo your own newscast sometime and get a clue.

One of my mentors...the great Bob Hardy...always said you should read the news as if you are telling each story to a group of friends...not as though you are making a speech at a political convention.

-The secret is finally out. Scott Rolen is once again dealing with pain in his bum shoulder. You had to figure that because of the way his bat was dragging through the strike zone. One has to wonder if he'll ever be able to return to his pre-injury productivity.

-Why in heaven's name would one find the need to promote dog fighting on one's own property when one has all the money and fame that comes with being the starting quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons? One must be really, really stupid.

-I give the David and Victoria Beckham frenzy about 3 months. But I must say, she's pretty cute.

HOLY CRAP!! Am I excited!

-The promoter has signed DAUGHTRY to perform at the August 7th concert at GCS Ballpark in Sauget.

Son Ian...(the Chris Daughtry look-alike) called me a little while ago thinking I had probably heard the news. He said..."Just checkin' to see if you're having a heart attack." I said..."Don't think so....about what?" Then he said he read about Daughtry being added on Grizzlies staffer Brent Pownall's MySpace page. Wow!!

Originally, the concert was supposed to be Third Eye Blind, Counting Crows and Collective Soul. Then Third Eye Blind was dropped from the show for some reason. Grizzlies GM Tony Funderburg (pic) and the promoter have been looking for a third act to add to the show to perk up ticket sales. And today... Wham-o! Now tickets will be hard to get. They'll pack the place. Daughtry has been on the road most of the late spring and summer. Quite a few of their shows recently have been in conjunction with Nickelback and Staind. But, wherever Chris and his new group have been...has been pretty much sold out.

I think Ian is even going to drive up from Kentucky for this one. We'll have to get him and Chris in front of a camera somehow. If that happens, I'll make sure plenty of pics get posted here.

Noggin Notes

-Things that currently have my interest---

-This whole Albert Pujols/Tony LaRussa thing from the All-Star game has me...as a died-in-the-wool conspiracy theorist...intrigued. It was so obvious that Tony should have sent his guy Albert to the plate with a chance to hit a walk-off, game-winning home run on Tuesday night, that one has to think that something that's not being said had to be involved. I wonder if LaRussa doesn't have some hidden agenda to start paving his way out of St. Louis after the season. There are so many rumors swirling about Walt Jocketty and LaRussa not "re-upping" or taking other jobs after this season, that you wonder if Tony is managing with that in the back of his head. Not playing Albert, a man from his own team, on one of baseball's biggest stages seems to be unthinkable....unless you are trying to annoy fans into calling for your head. I don't know...just me conspiracy theorizing.

-I read in the paper this morning...(that's that thing that some of us over-50 folks still use to get our news)...that teen sex and teenage pregnancy rates are way down. Compared to numbers from 1991, it's a dramatic downturn in the numbers. Maybe teaching kids about condoms, acknowledging that they are capable of making smart decisions, and understanding that they will try to have sex one way or another is the way to go after all. Keeping anyone in the dark these days...especially about sex... seems to be stupid and futile. Maybe we're starting to get it on this front.

-I wrote in my last post about how the Gateway Grizzlies have the best record in professional baseball. Believe it or not, that probably will have a downside to it before long. Because Phil Warren's team is kicking so much tail, they will likely be in the spotlight of scouts and lose some players to affiliated teams before long. The Grizzlies play in the independent Frontier League which has funneled a number of players back into the minor-league systems of big league clubs. In fact, the Grizzlies currently have two former pitchers toiling in the affiliated minor leagues...Scott Patterson is with a Yankees AA team...and Christian Castorri is with an A-level team in the Pirates organization. We who enjoy these kids with the Grizzlies have to remember that their real dream is to make it to the majors... and some have. i.e. Jason Simontachi, Josh Kinney(pic)..and many more.

-There was a Major League Soccer game on ESPN2 last night. Because there was very little else on the satellite, I tried to watch the game for a little while. Sorry soccer fans, I fell asleep. I sure hope David Beckham brings something to the sport that I'm not seeing. I used to broadcast play-by-play of soccer when I was in college. But, I have to work way too hard at being a fan of pro soccer.

-Do not take this in any way to be non-supportive of our troops...but, what is our country's leadership accomplishing in Iraq? These are real people, who want to live just like everyone else, that are dying in bunches over there. Someone needs to explain to me how what we're doing is changing the world for the better. I'd be on board with the war, if it seemed like there was a clearly-identified enemy, and sound strategy to defeat it. It might be I'm missing something, but it just seems like our people are over there to make sure the battleground isn't in our own back yard. That just puts them in harms way without a winning strategy. Can you say Viet Nam?

-The Blues will be good this coming year. Barring key injuries, I expect them to return to being a playoff team. But the really exciting Blues teams will take the ice in this century's second decade...if the current ownership maintains the course.

I Had No Idea

...that so many people would identify with our plight after I wrote about the passing of our dear old girl Fergie. Of course, dog-lover Mike Anderson of stlmedia.net mentioned my sadness and linked to this blog which sent many non-regular visitors here. Mike recently had a similar experience with his beloved Lucy.

As a result of the more public nature of that particular blog entry, I received several e-mails and phonecalls from people I had never met but who, nevertheless, attempted to console Barb and me. To those who did, and to those who might have identified and sympathized, I can never thank you enough. There are many more good-hearted people in this world than you might suspect based on the news of the day.

-At the All-Star break the Cardinals are an enigma. One could envision the World Champions folding up completely in the second half. But, it doesn't take much imagination to believe they could also still win their division with a return to regular health of some key players like Carpenter, Eckstein and Edmonds. Should they get any positive contribution from Mark Mulder, things could get even better. One thing I still expect is a much different look to this club next year. All the rumors about Walt Jockety and Tony LaRussa heading elsewhere may only be the tip of the iceberg.

-Every where I go people ask me how I feel about the coming hockey season after the Paul Kariya signing. I won't go so far as to say the Blues will be in the Stanley Cup finals like Manny Legace did on the radio the other day. But, I do think they'll make the playoffs and be competitive in them. That's more than we've been able to say with a straight face in some time.

-The Gateway Grizzlies are continuing to amaze me, and everyone else. They have just completed a sweep (and not just a sweep...but a thumping) of the Windy City Thunderbolts who, up until the Grizzlies came to visit them in Chicago-land, had the best record in professional baseball....at any level. Now...without doing the proper research...I assume that title falls to rookie manager Phil Warren's outstanding Sauget-based bunch. At the Frontier League All-Star break, the Grizzlies have a record of 36-10. A .783 winning percentage...Wow! Seven Grizzlies players will be in the all-star game in Florence, KY Wednesday night. Then the, now humbled, Windy City team will visit GCS Ballpark Friday night to start the second half of the season. I'll bet they're looking forward to that.

-I haven't heard anybody say anything to me about attending, or enjoying, Fair St. Louis. Maybe I'm not hanging with the right crowd to get that kind of feedback...but it seems to be a much smaller blip on the entertainment screen these days. I think our area could do so much better. I'd like to see a music festival like the old Mississippi River Festival be re-established to bring in big-name acts like it did back in the day. I'd work to make that happen...but would need someone with money to have the same vision. I even know of a great place where a venue could be established to handle it. If someone is interested in talking about it from a financial standpoint, please give me a call.

Tribute to a Dear Friend

-There are many things in this world that I should be concerned about this day, but there is only one that I can think about....the passing of our dear old Springer Spaniel Fergie. Barb and I took "Fergs" to our longtime vet Dr. Mike Harres for the last time just after 9 o'clock this morning.

The only consolation we have is in the belief that she's better off now than she was yesterday. We knew the time was approaching where we would have to do something...she was losing control of herself and had been deaf for some time. Recently she had begun to lose her eyesight as well. But yesterday...oh yesterday...was hard for an animal lover to take.

We were watching the last episode of Band of Brothers in our home theater when Barb noticed something was not right. I looked down to see our dear family member in the midst of a seizure. We thought the end had come then. But, to our amazement, she recovered and seemed OK for the rest of the day. Try as we might, we couldn't connect with Dr. Harres on the Independence holiday. Then, during the night Fergie had another seizure. So, we pretty much knew that this morning's visit to the animal hospital was not going to be pleasant.

After discussing the situation with "the Doc", we all agreed that her condition was not going to improve. So we made the toughtest of decisions, and were with her as she drew her last breath.

If you've had a wonderful pet like Fergie, you understand how we feel now. We will remember the romping puppy we brought home in 1993. We will look to the places in the house she used to make herself comfortable, to find her not there. We'll remember the joy she took in helping us open presents on birthdays and on Christmas. The joyful face she displayed upon receiving a belly rub, back scratch, or Milk Bone will only be available in our memories. The smiling, happy greetings upon our returning home will be no more. Barb is preparing a special place in her garden for the ashes. I have an empty place in my heart.

Our pets bring so much joy to our lives...and yet so much pain when they leave. But leave they must.

Rest well Fergie. You are loved.

Kaaaaaaa-Chuk!!!

-Well...he got a little more than the original offer....and I'll be able to make my favorite player-name announcement again for another couple of years. Blues goal scored by number 7....Keith Tkaaaaaaaaa-chuuuuuuuuk. Woo Hoo!

-I also very much like the pick-up of Paul Kariya. He's one of those "player's players" that I think we will get to like very much in St. Louis. With the young guys coming on...and the veterans that we have...along with Andy Murray from the start of the season....it should be fun being a hockey fan again.

-Philadelphia spent a pot of money on a bunch of guys...and so did the Rangers...but I still like the build-from-within approach the Blues are taking. It's going to take a little longer to become a Stanley Cup contender...but once we get there...it should be something we can enjoy for several years.