Quick Hits

-Reviews have begun to come in on actor-son Stewart's show in L.A. How Cissy Grew--world premiere this past Saturday 10/18-- receives high praise from Variety theatre critic Julio Martinez. Since Stew has been in SoCal, the reviewers from Variety have easily been the most difficult to please. So this is indeed a strong sign of professional approval. Stewart's castmates, James Denton of Desperate Housewives, Erin O'Brien, and Liz Vital all receive high praise in the critique which you may access here. As to Stewart's participation, Martinez says:

-Stewart W. Calhoun offers the closest thing to comic relief, competently wending his way through all the confused and defeated boys and men in Cissy's life.

UPDATE--More reviews in:

Jeff Favre-Backstage.com--There are several fascinating moments in this new 90-minute one-act, thanks mostly to four impressive actors and Casey Stangl's seamless direction. full review

Charlotte Stoudt--LA Times--There are some wonderful moments: Butch educating Cissy's first boyfriend (Stewart W. Calhoun) on the facts of fatherly life; and Johnston's monologues for the guilt-stricken Butch, beautifully underplayed by Denton, are the show's highlights. full review

Jonas Schwartz--Theatermania.com--Stewart W. Calhoun is given little to do as the several boys in Cissy's life; yet he manages to be spellbinding and seductive as Cissy's New York lover and pensive as her boyhood friend. full review

In the wake of the opening, Stewart informs us that he is excited to begin a relationship with the management company of Michael Abrams. The Michael Abrams Group will now be in search of appropriate and effective acting assignments for our guy. Stew tells us Mr. Abrams is extremely highly regarded in the business and the folks back home are tremendously gratified that he has taken a professional liking to the kid from Millstadt. Onward and upward!!

-Joe...thebroadcaster--not plumber. Congrats to dear friend, and long-time voice of the Gateway Grizzlies, Joe Pott. Joe's been tabbed as the new voice of the Cougars at SIU-E. Details here and here. As I've said here before, there isn't a more professional young broadcaster around than this guy. I know he'll do a great job for my old alma mater as the athletics progam moves to Division 1 status. But more importantly, wife Emily and young daughters Madeline and Katie will have a better future with their extremely proud husband and father.

-So V.P. candidate Sarah Palin will be at Scottrade Center to drop the ceremonial puck for the Blues-Kings tomorrow night. Should be interesting to hear what sort of crowd reaction she gets. Kinda hard to judge the make-up of a hockey crowd...as to socio-economic status and political leaning that is. I'm guessing there'll be a smattering of boos...but nothing outrageous. I guess I'll try to say hello if she enters the rink from the penalty box where I sit. I'll definitely try for a photo...and if successful it will be seen here.

-I haven't been so disinterested in a World Series in a long time. But I am pulling for the Rays because of my friendship with their TV voice Dewayne Staats. I know how much it would mean to him to be associated with a champion.

-The Blues got behind in a game with the wrong team last night. Their habit of doing so hasn't been a problem with some of the other competition they've had so far. But the Red Wings have too many world-class players to find yourself in a 3-0 hole against. It was exciting for yours truly to announce the first NHL goal for Blues star rookie T.J. Oshie. The fans seemed to get a charge out of seeing his first pro goal too.

-What's going on with David Duchovny? Submitting to re-hab for sex addiction...rumors of an affair with his tennis coach...and other insundry rumors. Seems like the Hank Moody character he plays in Californication might be more true-to-life than he'd like to admit. Duchovny has an undergraduate degree from Princeton and two daughters with the extremely hot Tea Leoni. Sounds like he must be one of those guys who can't be happy with a "regular life".

-Good to see that the Rams will be adding Dick Vermeil to the team's Ring of Honor at the EdJones dome. Vermeil, for most of us, represents the only true association with a chamionship feeling in pro football that we've ever known. Nobody in the Bill Bidwill era of Cardinals football, or Rams football before or since DV, has given us that king-of-the-hill feeling.

Another Giant Step

-While most folks outside of southern California and show business would be unaware, son Stewart (professional name Stewart W. Calhoun) passed another significant mile-marker in his budding acting career this weekend. I am pleased and proud to once again share what details I have with you here.

James Denton (best known as Mike Delfino on ABC's Desperate Housewives) and wife Erin O'Brien are the stars in the world premiere of the play How Cissy Grew which debuted Saturday at the El Portal Forum theatre in North Hollywood. Stewart is joined by Liz Vital in the supporting roles in the four-member cast required by playwright Susan Johnston's work. Casey Stangl directs the show. (Cast photo-->) While reviews aren't yet available as of this writing, Stewart tells us that all feedback he has received so far for the show and the performances has been very positive. UPDATE--click here for the review by Variety's Julio Martinez.

Because of Denton's heightened celebrity and affiliation with a hit TV show, there was a much higher level of media attention, glitz and glamour surrounding the show's opening night than is normal for a play...even in Hollywood. A number of the Housewives cast, including Terri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman were on hand to lend support and take in the show. Producer Mark Cherry was also seen on the red carpet Saturday. A goodly number of other non-Housewives actors and industry insiders stopped by as well. One in particular, William Fichtner (bank manager in Dark Knight--also seen in Fox TV's Prison Break--pic below) offered Stewart some very encouraging words after Saturday's world premiere performance.

Obviously, this show offers Stewart the chance to rub elbows with high-level working actors and producers in the Hollywood professional community. This type of exposure and networking opportunity is priceless in the super-competitive field our guy is attempting to crack. As you no-doubt already know, it's not enough to have enormous talent and/or looks. You also must be able to play the business game that it takes to land the big parts. And, of course, that all starts with getting smaller parts with the help of someone who can make that happen. We are also given to understand that How Cissy Grew could eventually be transformed into a film. Prospective producers were supposedly on hand Saturday to begin the process of deciding if that will happen. Stewart, one would think, would have a leg up on the competition if it does. So if our kid is to make it in the business, it's obvious that he will likely look back on this project as a major step in that direction.

Of course, Barb and I are thrilled that Stewart's talent is beginning to be recognized and that he is steadily climbing the ladder of success in his chosen field. As I've stated here before, we've always known he's had an exceptional gift. Now, it appears, that it is also being recognized by the professional world in which he wants to participate.

All photos (with the exception of Mr. Fichtner) taken opening night and courtesy of wireimage.com. Cissy runs through November 23rd.

Early-Season Excitement

-Wow! What a performance by the guys wearing the Blue Note last night. It's way too early in the season to let our excitement get the best of us. But I think you can say without fear of contradiction that we're seeing a much different club right now than what finished the season back in April.

Last night's 6-1 win over the Dallas Stars...the Stars--not some schmucks pretending to be hockey players...was a blowout in every way. If it had been a little-league baseball game they would have invoked the "mercy rule". If it were a boxing match, it would have been stopped on a TKO in the second round. The Blues were the quicker, more physical, and much more ready-to-play team. Afterward, I found myself thinking about seeing Brett Hull, now GM of the Stars, in the press lounge prior to the game and wondering what must have been going through his mind while watching that "beat down". The StL boys actually could have won the game by a more lopsided score if a few of their early golden chances would have gone in. Stars goalie Marty Turco must have felt like he was in a shooting gallery at times. While The Note didn't outshoot Dallas by a lopsided margin, it seemed they had many more quality chances and quite a few of their shots just missed the goal and didn't count in the totals.

When you can put out a couple of lines with the physicality that the Blues did last night, you're going to keep the opposition looking over it's collective shoulder for sure. Keith Tkachuk and David Backes got some "physical turnovers" that were turned into goals. And you've got D.J. King and Cam Janssen on the "crap-disturber" line making life miserable for the opposition too. Not too many think of the Blues as an overly physical team, and that's OK, because what they think as opposed to what they get sometimes will work to the benefit of Andy Murray. It sure did last night.

So far, you're not seeing a ton of scoring from the new kids. T.J. Oshie is playing quite a bit, as is Patrik Berglund, and not setting the world on fire. But, I still think there's plenty of reason to be excited by the start they're having. Berglund has a goal and a few assists...while Oshie has an assist next to his name after four games. Alex Pietrangelo doesn't have a point in the three games he's played. But the thing is they are putting in quality minutes at the NHL level and none of them looks "out of place". Oshie is getting the defensive end of the game down while playing on the penalty kill. Berglund isn't going to be your number one center this year but is still getting in the mix while acquitting himself well at both ends. Pietrangelo has had a few shaky shifts but for the most part has been quite good. None has been embarassed in any way. That's a major statement for the future of the Blues. The kids are NHL players! And it's just a matter of time before they fulfill their destiny as star players. At least, that's how I view it.

Meanwhile, other young players such as David Perron, David Backes, Roman Polak and Steve Wagner are already solid performers that it appears can be counted on for years to come. So, after four games, we can allow ourselves to be excited about the '08-'09 edition of the Blues. We can't afford to go overboard because, as we know all too well, injuries and other unpredictable things (i.e. today's appendectomy for goalie Chris Mason) tend to happen in sports. But, we can go to the games knowing that A) we'll get a good look at the future, B) we'll get our money's worth, and C) we just might be seeing a team that's time has arrived a little earlier than predicted.

My Endorsement?

So, who will get my vote for President? And why? There are a lot of reasons why I don't divulge that information to anyone but the woman I live with. And, I usually don't do that until after I've been to the polling place.

Firstly, I decided long ago upon entering the field of broadcasting, that if I was to have any credibility in delivering the news I would have to keep the specifics of who I support in any election to myself. To be considered a real journalist...even though this idea has gotten lost in the battle for ratings lately...one must preserve personal views for very private discussions that can never be available for public consumption. I don't even think a true journalist can succumb to the temptation of supporting a particular candidate financially..no matter how unbiased their on-the-air presentation might be. Political donation records are made public and if someone really wants to know your leanings they can find out that way.

Secondly, I also made a conscious decision when I was much younger...high school age I think...to not align myself with one party or the other on anything approaching a regular basis. It is obvious to anyone who pays attention that when one party dominates an elective office, bad things happen. And the Constitution works to our benefit much more effectively when we keep the elected officials on their toes. For the life of me, I don't understand why any elected official should be allowed to stay in office for more than a few terms...any office. Elected officials would be much more inclined to go to Washington to accomplish the goals they have for their constituents, represent their ideals to the fullest in the limited time they have...and then move on. Wouldn't that be more beneficial to the population than when someone stays in an elected office...and can expect to be...for multiple terms? When that happens the person and his/her office become much too powerful in the grand scheme of things. When an elected official gets too comfortable in his/her office, it's time to move them into a new line of work.

Thirdly, I think we'd be much better off if there were more than two parties that were viable on the national level. The donkeys and the elephants are often much too cozy for my taste, and for our good. When I voted for Ross Perot back in the 90's it was more in the hopes that he would be able to establish a viable third party than that I wanted him to run the country. Other countries seem to get along nicely with more than two parties involved in setting policy. Coalitions and alliances are formed to further legislation that is deemed important. Why should a democrat have to stray from the party line and be considered a maverick to cast a vote for a bill that he considers important to his constituents? Why does a Republican from California have to support the same ideas that one from Mississippi does? But it's obvious right now that you have to have either an R or a D next to your name to get elected in the good 'ol USA.

As to the two men running for President...I will say that I admire anyone who gets to where they are and sincerely want the job. Barack Obama has a level of charisma and fluency that we haven't seen in a candidate in a number of years. John McCain is perhaps the closest thing to a war hero that we've had as a candidate since JFK...some would say Eisenhower. Both of them would likely be good at the job. Obama is certainly more representative of his buzzword "change" than is McCain. The Senator from Arizona though, offers a comfort level that Obama doesn't. He's been around long enough for us to really get to know who he is...and for what he stands. So, before I go on too long stating the obvious, I'll say that I look forward to the next few weeks in the hope that I will get a sign from one of these gentlemen as to which I should support with my single, solitary vote. As yet I'm not sure...and wouldn't say here if I were. Either way it goes, I think we're in for an interesting next four years.

Re-Connecting

-I've returned. Sorry for the absence. It all started with vacation...then trying to catch up with work after vacation...and then simply getting out of the habit of writing. For those who have written to say you wanted fresh material...Thanks for visiting...and here ya go!

-Speaking of vacation, Barb and I got together with sons Ian and Stewart in Colorado in August and it was a great time. Some of the sights we saw during our time there were amazing. Ian has chosen a spectacular area in which to live. I wouldn't want the weather he will have between now and the end of April though. Photo by Barb (Flat Tops Wilderness Area)

-Update on our "Actor Guy". Stewart..stage name Stewart W. Calhoun... is in the final days of rehearsals for his role in the world premier of How Cissy Grew, a new piece from playwright Susan Johnston. It's Stew's third major stage show since re-locating to L.A. in '07. This one is different in that the cast contains actors who are already stars. James Denton of Desperate Housewives and his wife Erin J. O'Brien are the leads in the show. Denton talks about the show in this interview with Entertainment Tonight. Stewart is joined by Liz Vital in supporting roles. The play opens with a red-carpet extravaganza this Saturday (10/18) at the El Portal Forum theater in North Hollywood. Many of Tinseltown's top names (performers, directors, producers etc.) are expected to be on hand. Very exciting times for the kid from Millstadt. Details on all this at Stew's website.

-Update on "Colorado Guy". Oldest son Ian has made a right-turn in his life. He announced to the folks back home a few weeks back that he has decided to dedicate himself to the teaching profession from here on. In fact, he's already teaching at Battle Mountain High School near Vail. He indicates that he's excited and happy at his new post and looks forward to gaining full teaching certification through a Colorado program that allows one to gain it while being on the job. The folks are happy that he's "settling in" to what appears to be a very rewarding part of his life.

-Catching up on sports--

• I'm excited about the Blues prospects for '08-'09. No, I'm not saying they're going to win The Cup...but I am excited about the make-up of the roster with the young kids (Oshie, Berglund, Pietrangelo) playing a prominent role. Like all Blues fans, I can only shake my head at the bad luck the team continues to suffer. Erik Johnson blowing out a knee while driving a golf cart?? Holy mackerel...what other team in pro sports has had more whacky things like this happen to them over the years? Anyway, the veterans appear to be re-energized and the youngsters seem to have injected a new life into the roster. If we keep adding key players over the next year or two...look out.
• The Albert Pujols surgery appears to be a "comfort thing" and did not address the torn tendon. We'll still be worried about that. Especially if he doesn't have the pain to remind him that he's throwing with a bad elbow.
• The Rams, as we expected, are a bit better than their 0-4 start. With Sunday's win at Washington, it proves to me that they had tanked for Scott Linehan. This bunch likely won't win more than 2 or 3 more games this season. But you have to be happy for Jim Haslett that he was at least able to get that win in his first try. And, by the way, do the Rams have a team psychologist that might consult with Richie Incognito on a regular basis?
• I wrote here a few months ago that I was surprized that no major league organization had picked up Gateway Grizzlies catcher Charlie Lisk. He was hitting for average and power..and was an excellent receiver/thrower behind the plate. Well, the Detroit Tigers caught notice and his contract was picked up by them yesterday. Good luck to Charlie in making the climb through the Tigers minor-leagues.

-As to the Presidential race... It appears that unless Barack Obama makes some sort of uncharacteristic major speaking gaffe between now and November 4, he will be our next President. The polls just don't lie...that much. Although, I read the other day that some pollsters are worried that the polls don't reflect certain groups (cell-phone only households, whites who won't admit racist tendencies etc.) But, unless John McCain pulls some kind of rabbit out of his fedora soon, Obama-Biden appears to be the next team in charge. But an extended run of Tina Fey as Sarah Palin would have been fun.

-If you're like me, you don't fully understand the current economic meltdown, bailout and re-structuring. I don't know if anyone who doesn't work with these economic equations on a full-time basis can. It seems...at least temporarily...that the folks in charge have gotten something of a handle on the worst of it. But most experts that I've read feel that there's a long way to go to fix the original problems that created the situation in the first place. I guess the question I come back to is.."Is capitalism really capitalism when the government has to play such a large role in oversight and, in this case, ownership?" I suppose the economics professors all over the world are having fun with this one.

-I've been gratified by the reaction I've gotten to hosting Total Information AM-Weekend on KMOX. The show is one of the most highly-rated in St. Louis radio in comparison to it's competition in those dayparts. It seems everywhere I go someone mentions to me that they are listening, or heard something we've broadcast. That's when being on the radio is both fun and rewarding. Working with co-host Maria Keena has been great as well. She's a strong news-oriented broadaster with a great voice, and is fun to be around.

Come back again soon. I'll try to be more regular with updates.

Getting it Fixed

-As we keep pumping 4-dollar-a-gallon gasoline into our much-less-than-efficient vehicles in this country, I keep wondering if all the talk about finding another way is ever going to turn into a real workable plan. It seems if anything is left up to Congress, it tuns into endless wheel-spinning, snorting and cussing. When you think about how many dollars have been invested in oil-industry infrastructure, and how many billions of dollars those companies stand to lose in a switch to some other fuel, one has to believe change would require some catastrophic event, an oil war, or economic paradigm shift. A mandate from the people to their members of Congress, with an "or else" behind it just might get it done.

So where is there a vision that takes what we have now and transitions us into a really workable non-oil economy? And can someone with enough clout get behind the idea and push it to the masses in a way that might get a majority of us excited? Those are the questions that kept rattling around in my head.

Then, I get an e-mail the other day from a friend who tends to stay in touch with e-mails. Some are worth a little time, some a lot. This one really intrigued me because it linked me to the plan being put forth by T. Boone Pickens. I won't go into all of his ideas because you might already know them, or you might not want to read them all here. But, I looked over the website that he's developed to get his ideas out. I'm sure some economists and politicians who will pooh-pooh the plan. Anybody who would be gored ecomically or politically will try to poke holes in it. But this guy..meaning me.. right here and right now, seems to think it has some merit. We're sending bazillions of dollars overseas every year to buy oil and fight wars. Can't we agree on taking care of ourselves inside our own borders with a plan like this?

Pickens is an old oil man who knows a little about how the business works...and doesn't work. So that adds a little credibility to the mix too. He's starting to get some national play in the media...and some attention in Washington.

Check out the Pickens Plan here. Might be something worth a little of our national conversation at the least.

Sporting Around

-I tend to think the Cardinals will do SOMEthing to try to rectify the horrible bullpen situation before the trade deadline next week. But, I'd be surprized if it's any sort of "eye-popping" deal. By the way, George Sherrill, the Orioles closer that so many hope the Redbirds will find a way to land, is a one-time performer for the Evansville Otters who compete with the Gateway Grizzlies in the Frontier League.

-Sad to hear the situation at Channel 4 sports. Poor Steve Savard. He and Doug Vaughn are saddled with having to compete with 2 and 5 when his company is insistent upon hiring so-called "back-pack journalists". As you may know, this is a person who goes into the field and shoots, edits and presents his own video on the air...a practice popular at small-market stations. This is appealling to today's bottom-line oriented managers intent on eliminating jobs and combining two union positions into one. They don't seem to care, or understand, what it might do to the on-air product. I haven't seen the new back-packer on 4 yet...but someone who did told me he's not up to major market standards when it comes to on-air presentation. Gee..who woulda thought that?

-Rumors continue to circulate that Brendan Shanahan might wind up playing for the Blues this season. He's still saying he wants to return to the Rangers, but considering they have very little room under the salary cap to sign him, that might not happen. I, for one, would love to see Shanny back wearing The Note. He'd be a good mentor to some of the youngsters who we'll see a lot of this coming season. He'd have to make up with Keith Tkachuk though.

-What did Brett Favre expect the Packers would do...just let him walk away? First the guy cries a river announcing his retirement. The Pack says...OK it's on to the Aaron Rogers era. Then old number 4 decides he'd like to suit up for another year. Not happy with maybe not being the starter anymore, Mr. Favre starts whining publicly about GBay not wanting him anymore. You can't blame the team if you ask me. They're just trying to A) move on..and then B) protect their assets. People who say they should just let him go play someplace else...need to take a class in basic economics.

-Now Chris Duncan has a bulging disc in his neck...Now Colby Rasmus has a bum knee. Are the Cardinals the most injury-plagued team in pro baseball or am I crazy? I mean, they had a guy who's career ended on a foul ball that hit him in the eye last year. They had a pitcher killed in a traffic accident. They've got more pitchers on the DL than most teams have pitchers. Whatever happened to Josh Kinney and Tyler Johnson who were instrumental in helping win the World Series in '06? People forget that the bullpen is made up of the pitchers that are able to throw....and that ain't many.

-I see where the Rams were 22nd among the 32 NFL teams in the power rankings of at least one on-line pundit. To me, the big thing this year will be if they can A) stay healthy and B) protect Marc Bulger. The Rams had an unbelievable injury pile-up last year that no team could have overcome. And if Orlando Pace can stay on the field they will be much better as an offensive line. When you have a confident Bulger, you have a good chance of winning. But he tends to get jumpy and hesitant when the big boys up front aren't up to snuff.

-I'm kinda surprized that the Grizzlies have been able to hang on to catcher Charlie Lisk this long. He's a big (6-4, 230) catcher who hits for average (currently .303) and has good power (16 HR in 50 games and .595 slugging %). He also calls a good game and throws out runners with regularity. He was selected to the Frontier League all-star game a few weeks back which tends to get you noticed by affiliated baseball. He seems to have all the tools and would be a good guy for some MLB club to offer a contract.

The World as We Knew It

-I've been walking around for the past few days with this feeling of uncertainty. A few butterflies in the stomach...a bit of a dull headache. Feels like nothing is on solid ground.

I'm sure it has to do with two things: Anheuser-Busch becoming Anheuser-Busch/InBev and the U.S. economy's inability to recover.

-First, A-B/InBev. When will the St. Louis corporate community stop taking kicks to the crotch? Let's see...The May Company, TWA, Monsanto, McDonnell-Douglas...all no-longer locally-owned companies. This is the roster of what St. Louis was most proud of not very long ago. But the A-B buyout by InBev trumps all of the others ten times over. A-B was our largest, by far, source of civic pride in multiple ways.

We watch those Super Bowl ads every year and know that A-B, right here in our own backyard, is responsible for them. When we saw the Clydesdales proudly prance on opening day, or at the Rose Bowl parade, or anywhere else, we swelled with pride for our hometown company. The Budweiser signs on the outfield walls at almost every ballpark in the major leagues constantly reminded us of the company's dominance, and its connection to our area. Cruising by the brewery and office complex on I-55 was always a comforting experience..."Hey, there it is...always has been...always will be...St. Louis's pride and joy." Now all of that is, at the very least, tainted.

The worst-case scenario would be one where InBev relocates operations elsewhere. That seems, at least in the short term, unlikely. But the whole thing smells badly to someone who has always known A-B to be "the St. Louis beer company". That's all of us folks. As long as any of us have been alive the brewery has been there just south of Soulard bringing a major corporate presence to our city and our country. I can't imagine a city being more identified with, or by, a company than St. Louis with A-B.

Maybe the InBev deal is going to be fine for the shareholders, but there seems to be no way for it to be a good deal for the employees and the region as a whole. Will the local charities have to call Brussels to continue receiving support for their programs? Will Stella Artois signs start popping up at the stadium? How do you pronounce that anyway? Who will be the final decision makers on marketing and advertising? Will the aggressive policies remain? Lots of questions to be answered. And in the early days of this deal all I can do is take another Maalox.

-As to the economy. We've gone through some rough stretches before, but were they this bad? Gas prices out of sight. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in trouble. Major banks going belly up. GM downsizing and going deep in debt to remain solvent. The U.S. auto industry in general taking it in the shorts. Foreclosures and bankruptcies at an all-time high. (Am I wrong, or didn't this all come along after Alan Greenspan's retirement?) Whatever the impetus, it's not a very comfortable situation for anyone in business, or anyone who depends on business for a living. I think that's everybody, outside of government workers. Whether it's a recession or not (and it appears most experts now believe it is), it had better start getting fixed soon or there will be some really interesting stories that our great-grandkids will tell one another about life in the early 21st century. Perhaps similar to those we heard about our great-grandparents of the 1920's and 30's?

One thing's for sure, it's a very difficult time to remain an optimist. Pass the Maalox again please.

Random July Thoughts

-Do you suppose Jesse Jackson's jealousy was coming out when he made the ridiculous and stupid comments about Barack Obama? I'm guessing the Reverend saw himself as the first minority president and is having a hard-time with it. Didn't know the mic was on....come on Rev. You're always around a mic.

-Tony LaRussa wants Mo to make a trade to keep the Cards in the race. Easy to say. Not so easy to do. Good luck on that one boys.

-Are you as unexcited about the Olympics (now less than a month away) as I am. I hope NBC isn't counting on me to get back their multi-billion dollar investment.

-Now it appears InBev and A-B are trying to settle things in a friendly way. This, after lawsuits and threats of hostile takeover actions. I'm guessing it will soon be settled...and in a way that those of us in St. Louis will find distatestful....maybe the right word is "skunky".

-I kinda think the Rams will be quite a bit better than most of us expect. I've seen at least one national writer that's picking them to win the NFC West.

-I'm thinking that our economy will be fixed when somebody does something that makes a little sense regarding all those things that are causing it to tank. But you can bet that if it happens it won't be until after the November election.

-No big free-agent signings for the Blues....not that I expected any. I'm hoping they continue the lean-and-mean course and play the new kids. Let's find out which of our future stars really are.

-So, will it be BuschBev Stadium?

-I guess when you hit that many homers your manager doesn't mind that you're never on base any other time because you've struck out. Speaking of Ryan Howard, of course.

-New business open in West Belleville. Smoothie King at Firehouse Crossings on Frank Scott Parkway. Operated by local entrepreneur Adam Dohm. Tried one of the many possible combinations of smoothies this morning....mmmm.

-Poor Mark Mulder. I feel badly for the guy. I guess the millions of dollars will help to ease the pain. But it's one of those deals where you know the guy is always going to be saying "what if" when he looks back on his life and career.

-Who will be the VP candidates? Mitt Romney with McCain...and in a surprize, Hillary with Obama. You didn't know I was psychic, did you?

Who Stays? Who Goes?

All of the recent trade activity in the NL Central has gotten me to thinking about what might be going around in the noggin of Cardinals GM John Mozeliak and his new front-office braintrust. One doesn't have to be an expert to realize that these folks will have some interesting, and important, decisions to make soon about who will patrol the outfield at Busch Stadium III in the next one to ten years. There is an abundance of young talent that will need to be sorted out and settled on and, in some cases, moved on. Obviously, the people patroling the meadows this year will not be the same next year...at least not the entire top 5 or 6.

There has been too much said about the can't-miss status of Colby Rasmus to expect him to be working at Memphis again next year. Rasmus, and apparently more so his father, expected he would be working in St. Louis this season. That still will probably happen come September. But, his chance at getting here sooner faded with his sub-professional start in Tennessee. Nonetheless, all of his apparent talent, judged as star-quality by almost everyone who knows anything about the game, will have to be allowed a fair shot by next season's start.

The exciting potential of "Mighty" Joe Mather has become apparent to the masses at the big-league level already. And he appears to be a sure bet for the majors on a regular basis soon too. Whether it will be in a Cardinals uniform seems to be the only question.

The enigma that is Chris Duncan needs no further discussion here. He has the raw power that Tony LaRussa is so in love with...but it takes too many games off. And he plays the outfield like Beckham might...Victoria that is. He appears to be cut out for DH duty, and maybe some first base, with an AL squad.

You have Skip Schumaker who is serviceable, reliable, and likeable. But you have to wonder if he will develop anything close to star player status. The guy can play. But how much above average?

There's Nick Stavinoah who has put in some time as DH during the inter-league games in June. He's listed as an outfielder on the depth chart. But that puts him in a tremendously tough spot to expect any playing time at the major-league level...unless it be as a bench player.

Brian Barton has been fun to watch at times. Great speed, occasional power, OK defense. But it appears his status as a Rule 5-draftee is the only thing keeping him at the major-league level. Next year might figure to be one started, and perhaps ended, at Memphis, unless a trade takes him elsewhere.

So, is Ryan Ludwick a cornerstone outfielder for the future? His all-star selection would tend to make you think so. He's got awesome power when he squares the bat to the ball. He's reliable defensively. He's got a great personality and obviously appreciates his time in the majors after career-threatening injuries of the past. It would be nice to think that what we're seeing in '08 could continue to '18. For some reason I wonder if the front office has bought many shares in Ludwick Inc. for the future.

Then you have Rick Ankiel. Even after his amazing catches and power surges you have to wonder if what you're seeing is a mirage simply because...well, for crying-out-loud...the guy was thought to be a pitcher! And was! Here's an obviously amazingly talented athlete who does things with his bat that noone would have ever expected. He does things with his glove that most humans can only dream about. And his arm...well, not even human...that's X-Men stuff. He may be the most solid lock for the future of anybody at this point. But, then you see the stat that he's among the worst in MLB in batting average with RISP in late-inning situations. Does that go back to the mental approach problems of his pitching meltdown? I'm just a fan...not a sports psychologist...but I've got to wonder.

All-right Mr. Mozeliak...what's your plan? Do you package a few of these guys (Duncan? Schumaker? Mather?) to solidify the pitching staff...particularly the bullpen? Do you sit tight this year and see who emerges in spring training '09 and then make a move? Do you try for the blockbuster (OF Matt Holliday and LHP Brian Fuentes from the Rockies for Outfielder A and B, plus pitcher C and infielder D) to try to trump the Cubs and Brewers this year?

My thought-- Nobody expected this year's Cardinals to win the World Series. Probably nobody still does. So Mo doesn't have a lot to lose by sitting tight. He does have a lot to lose if he makes a bonehead trade that costs the team a major chunk of future assets in return for nothing substantially superior. It may be frustrating this season to see the Cubbies and Brewers pull away in August and September. (Of course, that may not even happen) But, if it does, Mr. Mo will still have a lot of cards to play (no pun meant) come the off-season. Expectations will be much higher in '09. Let's see how Ludwick, Ankiel and Rasmus (my projected starting outield for next year) do then.

Demo Crapola

-I'm a business person. How do I reach the most people who have the most money available to spend on my product or service?

Alas, the basic question that most business people ask themselves when planning out their marketing efforts. Should those people automatically buy into the standard ad-world mentality that the 18-35...or even the 25-54...age group should be the default demo when they can't decide for themselves? Well, of course, it's a changing world. And the decision process should change with it. But you'd never know it from some of what you read.

I point to a recent article in Variety, referenced by Mike Anderson on his stlmedia.net site, that indicates the average viewer of network TV is now 50. The piece seems to infer that being outside the standard target of 18-49 is a disastrous occurence for the networks that will have to be dealt with in order to sell advertising. The Variety analysis also points out that the median age of U.S. households is now 38. Well, sure there are generally two adults and 2.3 kids in households with parents under 40. Many households of people older than 40 are empty nests. So should the advertiser be trying to reach the average household, or the average person?

Well, if you want to believe that any message that reaches someone older than 49 is a waste of good ad dollars then go right ahead. But don't try to convince me that you're a sane person. Let's ask ourselves a few questions, and try to answer them honestly...

-Do you believe more people are financially secure who are older than 50, or younger?
-Do you believe more people are in a position to purchase something of significant value at the spur of the moment are older than 50, or younger?
-Do you believe that the baby boom of the late 40's through the early 60's was real, or fiction?
-Do you believe all baby-boomers have given up on life and withdrawn from society, or not?

Well, you get the point. If you are marketing anything to anybody you had better take into account that the baby boom was real and that a great percentage of the disposable income decisions made on any given day are made by people in that age group. In the 2000 census (the last official government survey of the population which is now 8 years old) it indicated that the largest increase in any age category was the 49% jump in the 45-54 age group because of the baby-boom influence. As I said, that fact is now 8 years old. So where do you suppose the largest increase will occur in the 2010 census? Sure, some of the boomers will die off before then...and at a higher rate than younger age groups...but not nearly enough to compensate for the enormous dominance brought to bear by the sheer numbers of boomers.

It seems to me that if you want to sell something...and lots of that something...you had better not get too enfatuated with appealing to the twenty-somethings and get a little more interested in the 50 or 60-somethings.