12/15/1910

One hundred years ago today my paternal grandmother gave birth to my dad. There's always been a bit of discussion about whether that was the actual date....records weren't kept quite as well in those days. But, this has become the accepted date and so I thought it important that my sons, who never got to know him, go forward with some information about that baby from the years I spent with him. These would be things that I don't think I've mentioned to the boys in casual conversation.

That baby was blessed with a sparkling set of pale blue eyes to carry through life. As an adult, you could tell exactly what he was thinking by the way he held them. If he was unhappy, the eyes let you know it. If he was in a cheerful mood, or telling one of his many entertaining stories, the eyes shone brighter than the sun.

-William Calhoun (no middle name)...was unable to finish high school. The family, his Scottish immigrant parents, three brothers (one died as a child) and a sister, needed him to work to help support the family. He was Bill to most everyone except my Grandpa, who always addressed him as William.

-When I was young, even though money was tight, he and mom insisted that I see the best eye doctor in the region to deal with my childhood eye problems. It was typical of his desire to fight for those who were unable to do so for themselves. He carried that personality trait into his public-service years in later life as an alderman for the city of Belleville.

-He had the uncanny ability to be a friend to a stranger in no time. As a boy, I was always amazed at the fact that he seemed to have friends wherever we went. Vacations, short trips to a nearby town for a homecoming, visits to the doctor's office, it didn't matter the venue, he always knew somebody...and more importantly...they always seemed happy to see him. I wish that somehow I could have been better at that.

-For many years he was fiercely loyal to Stag Beer...and the local brewery. You better not say anything to disparage Belleville, or it's hometown brew. That is, until the company saw fit to no longer employ his brothers Jim and John. After uncle John went to work for the local Anheuser-Busch distributor, somehow Budweiser began tasting pretty good.

-Like many men of his age, he spent a few years in Europe as part of the United States Army in World War II. Thankfuly, he was part of an engineering company that built roads and bridges and didn't see much in the way of combat. Otherwise, there might be noone sitting here to write this. Nor would my boys be around to read it. He always said he was the first married man in the state of Illinois to be drafted into war service. Up until then, only single men were sent to the war.

-After returning from the war, and despite not having advanced schooling, he was able to become chief surveyor for the St. Clair County highway department. Many roads and highways in the area were laid out by dad and his survey crew. I'd also like to have a dollar for every favor he did for friends and others who asked him to survey their property in his spare time. He never said no...and never accepted anything but thanks. I tagged along on those weekend missions many a time to hold the survey chain.

-Bill, as most of his adult friends knew him, tended to be a bit heavy, but like most of us as we age, he fought the "battle of the bulge".  I tend to think his tendency to carry a few extra pounds contributed to his "jolly" persona and made him more approachable than he might have been. I remember one time he decided to go "on the wagon" as he put it, for a couple of months. He got down to around 180...from his usual 210 or so. I hardly recognized him...and was proud of his effort.

-He was a tremendous supporter and fan of sports. He spent countless night and weekend hours working on playing fields and other projects at Belleville's Citizens Park. The park wasn't much until he, brother Bob, and the rest of the early volunteers decided to take it upon themselves to develop the property. As a youngster, I helped a bit. There's still a News-Democrat photo around that shows dad, me and local baseball legend Barney Elser working on a new chain-link fence for the new ball diamond at the park...circa 1963. I'll also always cherish attending World Series games with dad at old Busch Stadium (Cards-Yankees '64) and the new Busch (Cards-Boston '67/Cards-Tigers '68). How could anything beat your dad pulling you out of school to go to a World Series game?

Dad died in 1981. Our son Ian was 6 months old at the time. He always found an excuse to come by and hold him. Stewart was still 3-plus years off. If only he could have lived for both to have known him and to realize his impact on what I hold dear and how much of a gentle and loving force he was to all of us. They would also better understand how I try to carry myself...and how proud I am that they are much like him in many ways.

Happy 100th birthday Dad. Hopefully, we'll be able to play catch in the back yard again some day.

Writing

Advice to writers: Sometimes you just have to stop writing. Even before you begin.
  - Stanislaw J. Lec


When I saw the above quotation, it reminded me of my current situation with this blog. I've been writing frequently...almost daily at the outset...about various things in my life and opinions on them. I have gradually drifted away from doing this for a number of reasons-


A) Decrease in the sheer joy of writing
B) My sons have moved away from the area and have established lives of their own (their exploits and my pride in them provided much of the earlier fodder)
C) Time devoted to other pursuits
D) Facebook, and other more time-friendly ways of staying in touch with my circle of friends and colleagues, have held my interest while on the computer. 
E) I became increasingly reluctant to foist my experiences and opinions on others as being important to anyone but myself. 
F) Blogging, if not entertaining to both myself and others, becomes a colossal waste of time, and as I get older time becomes increasingly precious.


If someone could explain to me how devoting an hour or two per day could turn into a profitable pursuit...very profitable...I'd reconsider my lack of passion for doing this. But because I currently have several business avenues and part-time jobs that dominate my waking hours, I can't see that happening. 


For those who established a habit of checking this blog for my musings, I apologize for my current case of "writer's block". Don't give up on me totally. Things may change. If I ever get to the point of being able to retire, I'm sure I'll look forward to spending time at the keyboard again. I'll let you know when, and if, that happens. 

Decision Time

-Time constraints and the necessity of paying attention to business have me trying to decide whether or not blogging is something I should continue to do. For those who have visited here regularly and took some measure of enjoyment from my thoughts, I appreciate your patronage. I will post something soon that will indicate on which side of the fence my decision lands.

Playoff Picture (as of 3/16)

-The Blues have their work cut out for them. And it's not even that easy. They need somebody else to hit a bump in the road. And it looks to me they need more than one somebody's road to get bumpy.

They have three games left with Nashville...which appears to be a key to jumping into a playoff spot. But even if The Note wins all three of those games (1 home, 2 away) and claim all six points in regulation, that would only make up 6 of the 8 points they are currently behind the Preds. Nashville currently sits in the 7th playoff spot. Detroit is 8th, 7 points ahead of the Blues. Then you've still got to jump past Calgary in 9th place, 4 ahead. The good news there is that the Flames have only been .500 in their last 10 games. Everyone else ahead of the Blues and fighting for a spot is playing strong hockey....particularly the Wings who are finally healthy.

Minnesota, Dallas, and Anaheim are still nipping at our heals. So, they will be playing with energy as well which can be viewed as helpful if they should be playing one of the teams ahead.

The schedule is no pushover. The only apparent easy win would be the Edmonton game at home, Sunday 3/28. You might add the Columbus game at Scottrade on April 5th as a "should win" game. Other than that, you've got a huge fight on your hands every time out.

• 2 games with the Blackhawks (1 home 3/30, 1 away 4/7)
• @ Rangers 3/18 (fighting for a spot in the East), @ Devils 3/20 (just darn good)
• Home to LA on 3/25-(might be easier since the Kings have a spot pretty much secure)
• Those 3 with Nashville (home 3/21, away 4/1 & 4/10--last regular season game)
• Dallas, home 4/3--depending on how things go, Stars could be done, or fighting for a spot. But they're trending down right now)
•  Anaheim, last home game 4/9. This should be a win if there's still hope by then.

Any way one analyzes it, the Blues are in a multi-team scramble that can only go well if they win almost all of their remaining games and someone ahead, and a few behind, play in a way that helps The Note on each given night. It's not an impossible scenario. But it's hard, even for a die-hard like me, to be overly optimistic on the face of it.

Hockey Gold

It seems the experts are saying the reason they’re picking Canada to win the hockey gold medal Sunday is that the U.S. was terribly outplayed in the preliminary round game last Sunday night....even though they won 5-3. And if you just look at the shots-on-goal and the territorial edge in play of that game it would be hard to argue against that.

But what I think might be being overlooked is that the Americans took an early lead in the game…perhaps undeserved because of the shoddy netminding of someone thought to be the best, Martin Brodeur…but a lead nonetheless. If you watch enough hockey, surely you’ve seen teams play to protect a lead. I would say Ron Wilson and the American coaches were likely drumming “no stupid passes” and “no stupid penalties” into the heads of the U.S. players as soon as they went up 1-0 knowing that Ryan Miller, and keeping the Canadians off the scoresheet, offered the best chance to win. They likely had “keep it out of our own net” at the top of their minds. And the Canadians were in situations in which they needed to pour on the gas to attempt to pull even. A defense-first style by the Americans, no doubt, contributed to their ability to pour.

They did pull even at 1-1.

Then the Americans score again to make it 2-1…and go back into protect-the-lead mode.

Canadians make it 2-2. The U.S. makes it 3-2. Then 4-2. Canada scores to make it 4-3. Then the empty-netter seals it.

So, I think there was an awful lot of potential in that game for playing protect-the-lead hockey. Sure, the shots-on-goal at the end were terribly lopsided. And sure, Miller had to make many magnificent saves. But nobody said going in that the Americans had the most talent. Probably no-one will even if they win the gold medal on Sunday. And I would agree with that. But what they might have is the best team of the two countries. They may have attempted to construct…and I’ll bet GM Brian Burke would verify this…the better roster to win hockey games. And I tend to think they may have done so.

Who looks at the Canadian group of all-stars and says…”Now there’s a team”? No, you would say…”Now that’s a collection of terrific players.” As to a team, a group of guys who understand their roles and carry them out to professional perfection, that’s what you have in Team USA.

So, if you believe that the most talent ultimately wins…oh, like in the U.S.-Soviet Union game in 1980 or 1960... he said sarcastically…then Canada surely will skate all over the U.S. team on Sunday. But if you believe that the U.S. win over the Canadians last weekend was not a fluke, or figment of the imagination. And, if you believe Ryan Miller could be just as tough for the Canadians to beat this Sunday as he was last. And, if you believe both teams are loaded with professional players, and that the U.S. may just have constructed the better outfit to win one big game, then you can forget what the experts are saying and believe, as I do, that the U.S. will win one for the ages as they did 30 years ago at Lake Placid and 50 years ago at Squaw Valley. I’ll say 4-3.

And, I don't think I've read anywhere that one has to state the obvious to qualify as an expert.

Music Appreciation

-Once again I write with the expectation that younger people likely will dismiss these words as nothing more than the ramblings of an old guy whose opinions don't matter.

As I was getting in my workout yesterday, I had on Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits. I fancy myself as a fan of all types of music from all eras. But as I listened I thought...and here we go..."Nobody writes music like this anymore!" (That sounds like something I would have dismissed too if one of my parents had said it.) But...well..they don't. Someone under forty might also say "That's a good thing". But I'm talking here about the construction of a piece of popular music more than whether it makes a sub-woofer jump off the floor or rattle a car.

As I listened to I Am a Rock, for instance, I heard poetry. I heard wonderful, lilting melody. I heard performers who understood the importance of the beat, but also nuance, storytelling, tonal quality, lyrical rhyme and interpretation. This wasn't a song that set down a beat, a looping melody line, and then attempted to pound out some words to make a commercial package of some kind out of it. This was a beautiful story told in poem form and set to a melody built with the efforts of multiple master musicians.

Oh, I'm not here to complain that everything new is bad...and everything old school is good. Far from it. But the commercially successful music of the 21st century is more of a cookie-cutter, formulaic effort, in which true artistry is secondary to the look, and often, the outrageousness of the performer. Oh sure, all eras have their bombast and buffoonery when it comes to music. But the songwriters of today seem to be totally secondary to the make-up artists, costume designers, and studio engineers. True musicianship and artistry have a hard time getting recognized. Can we agree on that?

Even country music songs which, unlike other genres, seem hell-bent on telling a story, often are over-produced and drowned in special effects and instrumental hooks. And does anyone know how to rhyme lyrics anymore? Its frustrating listening to country songs that can't seem to find two words that end in the same syllable. Since when does truck rhyme with walk? Come on folks...it's not really that hard if you put some effort into it. I know you're trying to tell your story...but there are some generally accepted rules to writing poetry...and a song is a poem put to music...right? If you take poetic license it should only be an occasional thing.

I'm certain I'm not going to change the tastes of the popular music world by what I write here. But please, let's continue to fund music education, creative writing and literary appreciation in our schools. And let's also pay someone who's qualified to teach it. That's the only way real music artists will be developed...and the rest of society will know one when we see one...or hear one. And listen to a little Simon and Garfunkel once in a while to understand where I'm coming from. Thanks. I feel better.

How Close the Cup?

-It was very interesting to me to learn that the Blues were apparently a strong player in the Ilya Kovalchuk trade discussions prior to him being dealt from Atlanta to New Jersey. Team President John Davidson is quoted by Jeremy Rutherford of the Post-Dispatch as saying The Note had "legitimate interest" and "had been working on it for the better part of a week". This got me, for the sake of full disclosure a part-time employee of the club, to thinking... What does this mean?...and where are we with the youth movement and rebuilding process which began several years ago? 

I'm not going to be critical of anyone here. I'm just asking the question I'm sure many other Blues fans must also be pondering. Actually there are many questions that go into it.--

-Do we have a legitimate superstar player anywhere in our organization?

-Do we have enough good to very good players to negate the need for a superstar?

-What assets (the term JD uses for players) were we willing to part with in order to land Kovalchuk?

-Which of our current core of young guns (Johnson, Berglund, Oshie, Perron, Polak, etc.) are seen as untouchable in trade discussions...if any?

-If you were willing to part with more than one of the above in a Kovalchuk deal, is the leading edge of the youth movement now seen as having acquired tradeable assets instead of long-term franchise cornerstones?

-Who, currently playing at Peoria, juniors, or in college, is ready to step into an NHL job next year to prove that the drafting and trading of the last 5 years has been done with aplomb? (Eller, Pietrangelo, Junland, Palushaj, Sonne, McRae, Hjalmarrson, Lehtera, Cole, Bishop, Allen?)

-If none of the above are ready, then who leaves the roster after this year...and who replaces them?

-There are some high-dollar, low-output veterans manning spots on the roster. Do we expect them to rebound to the level of their pay scale? Or do we cut bait?

-If few leave, do we have any near-term hope of turning the corner from being an entertaining, up-and-coming team to a legitimate Cup contender?

-What is a reasonable goal year for being a Cup contender? A few years ago it was 2010.

-Is the front office now forced to look outside the organization to build a truly exciting, elite-level roster? (Was that one answered with the Kovalchuk trade talks?)

All of these questions need answers. And the answers have to be rooted in common sense for the fans of the team to continue the level of excitement and resulting support they've shown during this season. The St. Louis hockey faithful have bought into the re-build with 22 sellouts so far this season. Can we expect that to continue if the pipeline is drying up, or was overrated? Is it drying up and/or overrated?

Do the Kovalchuk discussions, and the willingness of the front office to acknowledge the level of interest, send a signal to the fans that we have gone from the cute, little, soon-to-be-great team...to one that's questioning the talent in our already drafted and signed players. Or is it that we just think that one piece of the puzzle that's missing happens to be somewhere else? It would be nice to think that we are still just one or two years behind Chicago in developing an elite on-ice product. It seems for that to be realistic the in-system kids need to keep coming...one, two, or three per season.

So many questions. I'm confident JD, Larry Pleau, Doug Armstrong, Al MacInnis and the rest of the team supervisors have answers. To keep things headed in the right direction, I'm pulling for them to have the right ones.

A Mind is a Terrible Thing

-In perusing the headlines today, I came across the pitiful story of Leif Garrett. For those who weren't around in the 70's, this guy pretty much had the world as his oyster for several years. Here's a wiki link if you need a little background. Anything he did was big news to the teen mags and the screaming hordes of young girls of the day. He had "the look" that most guys wished they had. See vintage pic at right. And underneath...his drugged-out mug of today.

What made Leif Garrett go from that to what he is now is probably going to be made into a movie some day. That some day will likely be after he finally succumbs to whatever demons are currently operating inside his head.

Today he was arrested by L.A. County sheriff's deputies on a downtown Los Angeles train platform. They said he was sweating profusely and shaking uncontrolably. Garrett, now 48, told the officers that he "gets nervous around law enforcement because of his prior experience". He denied having any drugs and allowed the deputies to search him. But then informed them that he was hiding black tar heroin in his shoe. He has been in and out of jail and dealing with drug-related problems for a number of years. Amazingly, he also has kept somewhat busy in show biz despite his acknowledged drug habits appearing on several reality TV shows and doing voiceovers and such. 

How is it that so many young performers end up like this? People who have fame and fortune thrust on them at an early age seem to, more times than not, find a way to screw up their lives. You don't need me to list them.

Leif "on the farm" pic is from his official website leifgarrett.net where he apparently is still trying to sell his music.

I'm no psychologist, but it seems it must have something to do with a poor sense of self and an inability to maintain a connection with one's real identity in the face of failure as a celebrity. The mind has convinced them that they are the person that everyone fawned over and oh-so loved as a performer. And when the spotlight fades, all that's left is the real person...and some of the money to spend on whatever makes them have a better feeling about the real self. Did they not know that they were living a false reality in show business? I guess not. Its interesting. At least to me.  

One also has to wonder what awful suffering Garrett's family has been put through watching the guy self-destruct. I'm sure their lives will be as important to the eventual movie as his. I just hope that somebody gets ahold of him somehow and is able to help write a happy ending to the guy's story. Seems unlikely at this point.

9125 days

-Those who know me know that I take great pride in being a Dad. I say Dad (capitalized) because, as I've written here before, being a Dad isn't nearly as easy as being a father. In short, anyone with the proper functioning equipment can be a father. To be a Dad, you have to earn the title. That means actually caring for, and loving with all your heart, that little person you helped to create...watching that person grow..and teaching him or her, when possible, how to avoid life's pitfalls and problem spots. It means being there when needed and providing as much support for the life that young person wants to live as possible. Of course, there's much more...but if you have that first part right (the loving) usually most everything else somehow falls into place. For me, the loving part has been easy. It came as naturally as breathing. Providing all the support I'd like to for what my two sons have wanted to do with their lives...well, that hasn't been nearly as easy as I'd like it to be.

Still..both sons have both turned out to be what I consider to be exceptional people. I'd like to think that's partly because they had an OK Dad. I know they had a Mom who is as good as they get.

It was 25 years ago today that I was given the honor of becoming a father for the second time. Ian will turn 30 next year. Stewart is 25 today. Which got me to thinking. Just how much time have I had to influence their paths? It seems like a blink...a moment...a flash. In Stewart's case, its a quarter century...which sounds like a long time. But let's analyze a bit.

1 year = 365 days x 25 years = 9,125 days.

Of those days, on average, 8 hours was spent sleeping. Another 8 hours was usually spent working (by me) or at school (by him). My work frequently required me to be away in the evening (Blues, Grizzlies, broadcasting a game, etc.) maybe on average 3 days a week. On those days I may not have seen my son(s) at all. That would be 156 days a year x 25= 3,900 days. (close to half of those 9125 days). Even on the days we were together...how many hours was it? 3...4?

After the time the boys went to high school..and especially after they started driving...there have been many more days where our time together was extremely limited. After hours socializing, away at college, etc. I'll say 30 percent of the days since high school have allowed for little or no interaction. I think that's conservative. 9 years (since turning 16) =3285x 30% = 985.5 days + the above 3900 = 4885.5 days.

So, having done the math (give or take a few days) I have been a part of less than half of the days Stewart has lived...most of those occuring since he started high school. And of the days I have been a part...just a few hours of those days.

Taking all this in has made me very wistful about the days of being a young Dad...grateful for having married a special woman who is a great mother...happy for, and proud of, how these young men now conduct themselves as adults...and sad about the scant time that I now spend with "my boys". I will resolve to consider very precious the time that both are home this year for Christmas.

Those of you reading this who are...or plan to be... Dads, enjoy and savor each and every moment of your offspring's youth..for it will certainly be gone in an instant. And while 25 years seems like a long time...it's not nearly as long as it sounds. Do the math.

Happy Birthday Stewart! I'm proud to be your Dad.

Multiple Personalities

-Well it's been a while. Let's opine about people in the (sports) news.

-Matt Holliday batting lead-off...at least on this blog. Not expecting he'll be back with the "birds on the bat". T'would be nice...but I'm thinking the DeWitt boys and Mo are too concerned over keeping their first baseman happy to go overboard with Mr. Boras's client. Sign Nady for left...DeRosa for second...let Freese play third...rotate Schumaker in the outfield and/or second base...sign a fourth starter (there are plenty of possibilities) then sign a closer (Valverde?) and call it a team.

-Andy Murray...I like the coach. I'm not sure how his detail-oriented approach plays with the boys in the room...but I would rather have that than someone who is loosey-goosey. The youngsters will eventually get their ice time...probably more as the season goes on. The veterans have likely been operating under the "it's a long season" mentality. As I've pointed out here before, don't get too worried about anything until after Christmas.

-John Davidson...congrats on the Foster Hewitt Award and the HOF. Nobody could be more deserving. It was also nice to see the big guy tear up a little during the pre-game speech to the Blues crowd. Genuine article.

-Steven Jackson...I am ready to take back any bad words I may have written here in the past about him and his behavior. He has been a strong pro in every sense of the word this year...particularly hard to do on such a dismal team. He has approached his role in life with great dignity lately...at least from this viewing post.

-Tiger Woods...Well, I guess it just goes to show ya that when you are the world's highest paid athlete, and are away from home a lot, you are going to have temptations coming at you from all directions. But, even so, how in the world does he look at the woman he married and think he can do better elsewhere? By the way...he has two Escalades and now has a hole-in-one. (You probably heard that one already)

-Bruce Weber...Continues to be what a college basketball coach should be. They can have Calipari, Pitino, and the rest of the glamour boys.   

-Chris Mason/Ty Conklin...working on becoming the best Blues 1-2 tandem since Hall/Plante.

-Tim Lincecum...probably somewhere enjoying a doobee and his unlikely Cy Young. What a rip.

-Steve Spagnoulo...seems like a smart man...but jury's still out on him as a head coach.

-Tony LaRussa...will be here as long as Albert is. Did you really doubt that?

-Darren Pang...is A) a great guy and B)...no disrespect intended to my friend Bernie Federko...a teriffic addition to the Blues TV broadcasts.

-Patrik Berglund...???

-Mark DeRosa...will be back if he knows what's good for him...and if the Cardinals know what's good for them.

-Danario Alexander...flying way too far under the radar. Guy's numbers are ridiculous. Could the Rams use a receiver like that? Receiver first round? QB second?

-Tiger Woods...(well.. he's been on TV at least twice as much as any of these other guys)..What's the difference between a car and a golf ball? Tiger can drive a golf ball 400 yards. OK that's enough.

Stockholm Retrospective

-I had camera difficulties on the recent trip to Sweden, so I don't have a lot of photos to share right now. Some of my traveling buddies from the off-ice crew have promised to share some shots when they can. I'll have more images when that happens. So I'll give some quick memories of my wonderful hockey journey of September 29-October 4.

-Tue. Sep. 29-Flight out of St. Louis delayed. Arrived Newark late. Saw Manhattan and Statue of Liberty on approach. Had to hustle to connecting flight. Barely got on in time. Plane full of Blues fans taking the team-sponsored package trip. Took off at Newark on time...around 5:30.

-Wed Sep. 30-Flew all night...8-1/2 hrs air time. Arrived Stockholm at dawn. Beautiful sunrise over lake and waterway-filled landscape of eastern Sweden. Touched down around 7am local time. Arlanda airport amazingly clean and beautiful...shopping mall with planes. Caught NHL-provided small bus to Clarion hotel about 20 miles away in Stockholm. Checked into Clarion..(NHL and RedWings HQ's) rested most of the rest of day. In evening walked with StL/Det off-ice official crew to Old Town section of Stockholm about 2 miles from hotel. Beautifully-kept, old multi-story buildings separated by narrow, cobblestone streets. Post-card material. Many shops and restaurants. Dinner at Rodolfino Italian-style restaurant. Not sure what Swedish food is at this point. Pasta and wine...good food...wine not so much. Walked back to hotel enjoying the beautiful evening, sights, people. A beer with the off-ice crew and off to bed.

-Thu Oct. 1- Breakfast at all-inclusive hotel buffet. Usual eggs and pancakes etc. for North-Americans. Buffet includes Swedish breakfast items like lunch meat, berry sauce, milk for coffee-not cream. Bought 3-day pass for light-rail train system. Two stops from hotel to Globe Arena(pic). Rode there from stop at hotel with off-ice crew. Met Martin McCreary, director of NHL game entertainment and Stockholm show, at arena. Rest of day spent writing script for Fri/Sat games. Evening rehearsals...pre-game shows including anthem, player intros etc. Met Josefin Glenmark(pic)--Swedish singing star who will sing anthems. Made friends as she asks for advice on anthem lyrics from "American announcer guy". Met Nicklas Wikegard...former star hockey player and coach in Sweden...now TV guy who will host in-arena pre-game and between periods talk segments. After rehearsals..around 10 local time...walked alone back to train platform. Boarded wrong train...got off at wrong station...got back on wrong train...got further lost...finally asked for help at train platform...got back to hotel around 11. This isn't StL MetroLink. Wshew! Straight to bed.

-Fri Oct. 2- Breakfast at hotel again. Rest of morning spent exploring...walking in bustling neighborhood surrounding hotel. Lots of shops, restaurants--including McD's, Subway, as in U.S. Sporting goods stores feature hockey jerseys..mostly RedWings..occasional Blues. NHL games very big item in local papers and on TV. Amazed at number of beautiful people. Being fat is apparently not an option in Stockholm. Bike lanes on most streets. Arrived Globe Arena around 3. Game-time 9pm local time. Pre-game show band Backyard Babies (once big in Sweden) is rehearsing. Review script and make last-minute changes with Martin. Ready to go. Pre-game show goes well. Game on. Sea of red for Wings...patch of Blue, but a noisy one, for Blues. Blues stun Wings in comeback 4-3. Local fans not happy...7-8 Swedes on Wings. Berglund and Steen, sort-of, for Blues. Join Tim Pabst (Fox Sports producer/director) and Carl Middleman (K-Hits radio and Blues music guy who paid his own way to Sweden and was put to work by Martin) for "one beer" at hotel bar. 3 hours later, after seemingly meeting everyone in the bar, half of the NHL New York office staff, and getting an introduction to the preferred brand of tequila in Sweden, foggy head hits pillow. Very long...but very special day.

-Sat. Oct 3- Alarm goes off at 7:30...7:30? Oh yeah..supposed to go sight-seeing with Brian Varady, Ralph Snedeker, and Tim Johnson...St. Louis off-ice officials who didn't hit the bar last night. Pulled myself out somehow. Breakfast in hotel. Lots of coffee. Jump on light rail to head for Vasa museum...major tourist attraction in Stockholm. Sailing ship sunk in Stockholm harbor in 1628. Stayed in harbor mud for 3-plus centuries. Relic raised in 1962. Re-constructed with museum built around it. Fascinating. More info here. Walked several miles to and from museum. Beautiful area--Djurgarden--one of the islands that makes up the Stockholm metro. Returned to hotel early afternoon. 2-hour nap. Raining. Wet walk from train to Arena. Arrived Globe Arena around 4:30. Pre-game band-Bullet-(AC/DC knock off) rehearsing. All is ready to go after good show Friday night. Pre-game show goes perfectly again. Great job by Josefin on the anthems. I introduce Mats Sundin who announced retirement previous week. The Swedish national hero gets thunderous ovation and drops ceremonial puck. Game on. Blues fall behind early...Uh oh. Wings out for revenge. Blues come back for 5-3 stunner. Tkachuk scores twice. I decide to go for standard Keith Kaaaaaaaaachuuuuuuuuk goal announcement. Explain to Martin on headset that Blues fans would not let me hear the end of it if I didn't. He understands. Local fans disappointed again. After game..."one beer" again at bar. Bartender offers tequila shot on-the-house. I ask why. He says.."you leave me too big tip last night." Hmmm...I got to know the bartender last night?. OK. Great conversations with Martin McCreary (who was my boss until now...becomes life-long friend), locals, NHL people, TV production crew, Matt Langen of NHLPA, and more. Glad I stayed up. Bed at 4:30.

-Sun Oct. 4- NHL bus to airport at 6:15. Ugh. Check-in and customs. Boarding at 8:30. Spoke to Blues owners Dave Checketts, Mike McCarthy and wives at gate. They'll be on same plane. Nice words from them. Checketts, one of first to board, stands at front of plane and thanks Blues fans as they get on. Classy. Plane on time. Good-bye Stockholm. Will I ever see you again? Lots of off-and-on sleep on plane. Customs and connecting flight at Newark. Say goodbye to many NHL New York-area and Detroit off-ice crew friends that were made on trip. Arrive back in St. Louis 4pm (Central). Thank you NHL for the invitation...and the forever memories. Jet lag, and return to normal life, here we come. Stockholm was wonderful...but as Dorothy said...

Gaming

-All sports this time...first Cardinals, then Blues, and last...of course...Rams.

-Cards--It seems to me that the Birds have what it takes to win another World Series. What worries me the most though is the recent struggles of the closer. Ryan Franklin seems to be cut out of the same sort of cloth that Izzy was. He is very good when he's on...but doesn't have the sort of "blow away" stuff that gives you confidence that he can still get guys out when he's not. When he's in command of his pitches he puts them in places where the hitter either can't hit it...or hits it on the ground to someone. But lately he's been leaving the ball in other places...where the batter can drive it. Unless he finds his command in the last few weeks of the season I'm afraid we might have a very nervous time in the playoffs...and possibly short too.

I would hope that we might hear something about a new contract for Matt Holliday, Mark DeRosa and/or Joel Pineiro before the post-season. It would be nice to know that at least one or two of them will be around for more than just the rest of this season. It might keep them a little more focused on the job at hand as well.

Shame on you if you take what Albert Pujols is doing for granted. The guy is an absolute baseball magician and we are lucky to be watching him on a regular basis.

-Blues--The excitement of last season's playoff run, and the ownership fans have taken in the young Blues roster, has definitely carried over to this year. The crowd at FanFest this past weekend was unbelievable...especially when you consider the apathy of a few years ago. The concourses at Scottrade were packed with autograph seekers and hoards wanting to be a part of the Blues family. It was great to see.

From what I've seen so far, I have a hard time believing that The Note won't make another playoff appearance in the Spring. Of course I'm not expecting the kind of major injuries that were part of the mix last season. There will be some injuries of course...but you have to believe that we won't be devastated like we were in '08-'09. Paul Kariya looks great so far. And Erik Johnson has started to flash some of that amazing ability that we were getting used to two seasons ago. If we get even average production from the usual places...and add a healthy Kariya and Johnson to the mix...well, you know. Keep your eye on David Perron. He seems to have a different, more determined, look in his eye on the ice so far. Could be a breakout year for this guy.

I've accepted an invitation from the NHL and am excited to be making the trip to Sweden to do the p.a. announcing for the two Blues-Wings games there. I've never been to Europe...and they say Stockholm is a beautiful city. I was surprised to get the call actually. I figured a local announcer would be handling the microphone...being in Sweden and all. But apparently the idea is to provide Swedish fans with the "total NHL experience" so this English-speaking fellow will be part of that. So when you're watching, or listening to, the games on October 2 & 3, listen for yours truly making the announcements in the background. I'll bring back pictures.

-Rams--It would be easy to say that these guys are embarking on another lost season at this point. 0-2 is what most people figured they would be. I see predictions of 0-5 before they have a chance to win at Jacksonville in week 6. I may be overly optimistic here, but I believe these guys are just about to start clicking a bit. I base this only on a feeling...mostly about the way they played against Washington...and I think some of Steve Spagnoulo's ideas and strategies should start bearing fruit about now. The defense, if they could ever get someone to the quarterback, should be OK. The offense seems to be starting to get a bit of traction. If they can avoid any more major injuries, I'm thinking they might actually win 6 or so. I'll go out on a limb and say they will start with a win over Green Bay this Sunday....let's say 24-14. (2 offensive TDs...one defensive)

How 'bout this--4-4 by the bye week.
Losses--Seattle, Washington, at S.F., Indianapolis
Wins--Green Bay, Minnesota, at Jacksonville, at Detroit

OK...so it's optimistic. I would rather be that way.

A Pro's Pro

-As a mass-comm senior at SIU-E, I was fortunate to land KMOX for my broadcasting internship. Others chose music stations or television. My request was the Mighty MOX. And with the perseverance of faculty coordinator Jack Shaheen, I got it. I didn't much care what sort of work my internship would bring with it because I would be inside the hallowed halls of Robert Hyland's radio behemoth and frequently be in the same room as my hero Jack Buck. And that's all I really cared about at the time.

In January of 1972 I reported for duty for the first time. It would be 3 months of "gofering" and whatever some staff member wanted me to do. That's all I knew going in. It turned out that I was assigned to Jim White as his Friday. Jim...who passed away yesterday at 73...(read obit here)...was already established as a radio superstar on KMOX's clear channel signal. His man or woman Friday was referred to often on the show when he needed some task performed behind the scenes. Being assigned to The Big Bumper...his on-air nickname for himself...was a bit intimidating at first. Jim's crusty, on-air personality bled into his real one enough that I tip-toed around him a lot at first. I came to learn it was because he didn't suffer fools, laziness, or unprofessionalism very well. Once I made it clear that I wouldn't fit into any of those categories, we worked well together and I had a comfortable friend and mentor.

My job usually was to arrange "call-outs" for that night's show. Jim would scour the news and decide what topics, or people, were worthy of pursuing as interviews. He would give me his ideas and I would set about tracking down call-outs...usually one per hour of that night's 4-hour show. So my people skills...especially on the phone...grew exponentially during that 3 months. It always helps to line up interviews when you can drag out the phrase..."This is Tom Calhoun calling from CBS News in St. Louis". We pursued interviews with everyone from winners of the hog-calling contest to the highest officials in government. It all depended on what sort of mood The Bumper was in...and what day of the week it was. Friday night shows were always lighter than the others. I'd say we had about an 85% success rate in lining up who we wanted.

One night's efforts stand out in my mind. The details are a bit fuzzy, but 1972 was a Presidential election year. Early that year, the battle for party nominations was beginning to take shape and primary elections were looming. As part of that, Jimmy Hoffa, the long-time head of the Teamsters, was flying into St. Louis for a "union gathering". He had been in prison for several years for bribery and jury-tampering. He was pardoned by President Nixon in December of '71 and told not to engage in union activities as a condition of his release. He was basically thumbing his nose at Nixon by appearing at a highly political, and highly Democratic, event that night. His appearance in St. Louis was something of a surprize and Jim told me to "get Hoffa on the phone". It was not..."try to". It was "get him". After a number of calls to people who might be able to help...and leaving our hotline phone number with all of them, I received an amazing call during that evening's show.

"Hello...this is Jimmy Hoffa", said the voice on the other end. "I'm at the airport and I have about 5 minutes for an interview."

"Yes sir Mr. Hoffa", I said. "We'll get you right on with Jim White".

The Bumper was pleased. I can't remember ever seeing him quite so satisfied. He knew, and he made it clear to me, that it was a huge "get" for him and KMOX that night. Of course, Hoffa disappeared, never to be heard from again, a few years later.

It was that sort of "we can do anything" attitude that made Jim White, and KMOX in that era, so special. The nighttime signal brought information and entertainment to hundreds of thousands of people all over the continent before the advent of the internet and cable television. Jim was the king of the genre in mid-America. The ratings were off the charts.

I'm proud to have known, worked with and for, Jim White. A very, very Big Bumper in our profession. Rest well my friend...and thanks from this Friday.