Stan's Challenge

Sunday evening at the Blues game I was asked to read a script accompanying a ceremonial puck-drop that was meant to honor the life of Stan Musial. Mr. Musial's grandson, and almost constant companion in the last several years, Brian Schwarze came to center ice to drop the puck between Blues captain David Backes and his Minnesota Wild counterpart Sakku Koivu.

These types of ceremonies are done occasionally by the Blues when a particularly historic event occurs, such as the passing of "Stan The Man", or if a famous person is in attendance whom they wish to recognize in some way. Members of the Cardinals, for instance, were on hand to drop a puck after their 2011 World Championship. It's a way for a hockey team to say "we are proud of you" or "we're glad you are here with us", something like that.

But this ceremony honoring Stan was quite different for me as public-address announcer. It was not just reading a script without messing it up. It was the one public opportunity for me to do my best to honor my hero. I wanted to make sure the words were right and my delivery was dead-on.

The script, in its original form, was adequate for the occasion. But I thought it could stand a little more in the way of poignancy. I re-worded a few things, presented the ideas to my supervisor, and approval for the revisions was gained. I was satisfied with the new script. It went like this:

Ladies and Gentlemen, over the weekend the St. Louis community laid to rest a sporting-world icon and the greatest St. Louis athlete of all time. Stan Musial was not only known for his record-setting accomplishments on the field, but was also a true civic treasure and example of what a true gentleman should be. 

We now direct your attention to center ice for this evening's ceremonial puck drop and ask you to welcome Stan's grandson Brian Schwarze, as he drops our ceremonial puck in honor of his grandfather Stan "The Man" Musial. 

Thank you Brian Schwarze...and thanks for the wonderful memories Stan "The Man" Musial. 

It was a simple tribute, to be sure. But also said exactly what needed to be said on behalf of some 18-thousand St. Louis sports fans to the Musial family. It turned out perfectly from my view.

Tributes have come from all directions in the days since Mr. Musial passed away on January 19th. One of my favorites was written by Dan O'Neill of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Dan is obviously much like me, a devoted and adoring Stan Musial fan his entire life. You can read his tribute here.

But what I hope people who loved Stan and his approach to life would see going forward is the challenge his legacy presents. How do we live up to his standard? How can we live our own lives as effectively and generously? Bernie Miklasz, also of the Post-Dispatch, asks himself these questions in this carefully thought-out column.

Social Media Changes Everything

Saturday night was supposed to be all about Blues opening night. It was supposed to be the start of a hope-filled season for St. Louis Blues fans. But at 5:45pm Saturday, January 19th Stan Musial passed away and the tone of the night could have dramatically changed at Scottrade Center.

Many Blues fans are also Cardinals fans. So a high percentage of the 20,035 hockey-starved patrons who showed up to watch their Blues take on the Detroit RedWings that night also had a soft spot in their hearts for "The Man". Those of us who work at the games also have that spot. We found out that Mr. Musial had died shortly before the introductions of the 2013 Blues team members were to take place prior to the start of the game. Because of social media, the fans found out around the same time.

Prior to the days when everyone carried a cellphone, I, being the public-address announcer at Blues games, would have had the duty of informing the crowd of the passing of St. Louis's number-one sports icon. It would have been a shocking moment in the evening for most. Some would have gone straight into a depression-like state. Some would have immediately sought more information. Some may have left the building. That would have likely killed the opening-night "buzz" in the arena, probably for the entire game.

As it was, a majority of the crowd likely learned of the passing of Mr. Musial not too long after our game presentation staff and the media did. So, our job in presenting "the show" Saturday became one of determining the best way to pay tribute to Stan-the-Man, and not one of breaking the news. We decided to put up a picture of Stan on the Jumbotron between the second and third periods and accompany it with some appropriate words.

The management entrusted me with composing the message. I delivered it. And the game and it's presentation weren't radically altered. People stood and applauded. And because of social media and the rapid spread of information about Mr. Musial's passing, the atmosphere in the building was preserved. In this instance, social media changed the game experience for the better without many realizing it.  

How Close Were We?

One has to wonder, after 113 days of life without NHL hockey, just how close we came to losing another entire season to labor strife. Not that long ago we went through an entire year without the puck dropping in St. Louis, and the rest of the hockey world. The comeback from that incident was painful, as the casual hockey fan had written off the sport as something they could live without. The Scottrade Center (then Savvis) was mostly empty for the next few seasons. Of course, the dismal state of the Blues roster in the post-Bill Laurie ownership period had a lot to do with that too.

As a part-time employee of the Blues, I had some inside indications that Commissioner Gary Bettman and the owners had no intention of losing the entire season. It's my belief that they felt that the fan base was secure enough to bargain hard with the players to get a deal that they wanted to live with long term. They were ready to lose around half of the season to do it, and they did. Now the business of repairing the damage has to begin. Good luck to new Blues owner Tom Stillman, and his local group of investors, in recapturing the love lost for The Note over the last few months. It's comforting to know that we won't have to go through this again for at least eight years.

Regarding Mr. Pujols

I would be the last...well, maybe not the last...but low on the list of those who would wish Albert Pujols a bad time in Anaheim. But after his disastrous April I do have a point to make that I don't think I've heard anyone say yet...at least not in the media.

Good old Al keeps telling the press types out in SoCal that he'll be fine. Just give him a little time and he'll start popping line drives and home runs all over Angel Stadium and other AL parks just like he's always done before. "Not to worry...my numbers don't lie...etc. etc." Given most of the facts we know about Jose Alberto Pujols Alcantara you'd have to believe he's right. The plate discipline will return. The desire to fulfill the title of "World's Greatest Hitter" will subside. The pressures of the new situation will diminish, and...presto, chango...the old Albert will be back blistering the ball and humiliating opposing pitchers.

There is one factor, one that we've always talked about, one that's always been brought up when anyone has entered into a discussion of his value, that he may be overlooking when he makes the above statement. HIS AGE. We all know there has always been a question about what it really is. Oh sure, if you look him up on Wikipedia it will tell you that he was born on January 16th, 1980. That means he's 32 right? Wikipedia is the universally accepted source for all things factual right? Right. Well maybe.

If you have been a Cardinals fan for the past 10 years you know that there has never been a hard-and-fast, truly factual, no-questions-asked, accepted age for Albert. The history of his early life, his immigration from the Dominican, his life in New York, his re-location to Independence MO...its all been much too fuzzy. And the documentation is questionable at best. Combine that with the fact that as a youngster he was a man among boys at a very early age. One historic piece I referred to spoke of how as a sophomore Albert was hitting 450 foot home runs for Fort Osage High School. In his first season, he hit for over a .500 average with 11 home runs. Not bad for a what? 14-year old?

Look, Albert may be 32. Wikipedia may be correct. But what if he's not? Let's just say he's actually 35 or 36 for the sake of making a point. That would put his current slump...and his off year last year in a totally different light wouldn't it? Anyone on the high side of 35 knows how things dramatically change with your body. How things that used to come easy physically suddenly become like...work. Even athletes...at least those without the benefit of certain substances...readily admit that. Vision fades. Coordination falters. Strength lessens. Stamina vanishes.

When Albert says..."I'll be fine", he is surely saying it as someone who believes it. But he also could be someone in denial about the possible effects of his number of years on the planet. All the indicators are there to suggest that he was starting to experience normal age-related regression prior to signing his big deal with Mr. Moreno. Now, if he's really a handful, or even a few, years older than most of the world believes, he could be just entering the twilight of a wonderful career sooner than anyone thought. If my suggestion could be fact, Cardinals fans don't know how lucky they are that things happened the way they did. And they have some terribly smart baseball executives at Busch Stadium for which to be thankful.

Albert's Baffling PR Gaffe

Apparently when you are a highly-paid athlete and hire an agent to go out and negotiate multi-million dollar deals on your behalf, that doesn't include a public-relations person to coach you on what to say in the aftermath. So, since Albert Pujols obviously didn't have the benefit of that expertise, let's give a little thought to what he should have said Saturday in Anaheim. You know, instead of the poorly-worded, childish and asinine spew to which everyone was treated. Did he/they not know that this event would be seen in St. Louis? It didn't seem so. Even a poor PR person would have prepared a few remarks for him to start off with, and then coached him on the responses to some of the questions he most certainly would have faced. The adviser wouldn't have been able to anticipate the actual questions, but a well-constructed set of remarks would have set the tone. So...here we go with what Albert should have said, but didn't.

"Thank you to Mr. Moreno and the Angels management for putting together this amazing contract for me and my family. I am very excited at the opportunity and look forward to this new chapter in my life and career. But before I say anything else, I'd like to thank the St. Louis Cardinals and their fans for supporting me for the last 11 years. It was an amazing run. Cardinals fans are everything you've heard about. They are passionate about baseball, amazingly loyal to the team and its players, and they have shown me more love than anyone could expect. I am happy to have been part of two World Championship Cardinals teams and will always cherish those memories. Cardinals fans...I love you and will miss you more than I can say. I only hope that while I play here in Anaheim, I will be able to enjoy the same type of fan base and loyalty that I enjoyed in St. Louis. Cardinal fans will remember that I have said many times that I wanted to play my whole career in St. Louis and that money wasn't the issue. I wish now I hadn't said those words as often as I did. Please forgive me for giving the impression that this wouldn't come down to a business decision. It did. And it was. I'm sorry, but it's true. In fact, I feel that the major reason I am standing here today is because the Cardinals, even though they tried very hard, just couldn't compete with the package that the Angels offered. As you know, the end of my contract with the Cardinals represented the only real opportunity at free agency that I will have in my career. The Angels were in a position to blow me away with their offer. Unfortunately, the Cardinals deal with a different financial reality in St. Louis, and couldn't. There were other, less important factors in my decision, but in the end, I decided to move to Southern California to play the rest of my career for the Angels and take the best offer that we received. I immediately felt comfortable with Angels ownership and management and look forward to being the best player I can for them and for Angels  fans. At the end of this process though, I am both very happy for my family, and very sad that I was compelled to leave the only city I have ever played in behind." 

What would have been wrong with a little honesty like that? This certainly would have gone a long way to clear the air in St. Louis, and the Angels management and fans would have understood. They aren't stupid. The Angels would have seen that the press conference/pep rally represented both an end and a beginning for Albert. As it turned out, it also was a totally blown opportunity for him to be seen as a universally-loved athlete in the mold of Stan Musial, Tony Gwynn, Kurt Warner, Cal Ripken and a few others. Some carefully-chosen words (whether he meant them or not) would have eliminated most of the bitterness that Cardinal Nation feels today. All of the "God told me to"...and "I prayed on it"...and "I felt more wanted" stuff is unbelievable and inexcusable, and only sets him up as an unlikable figure in St. Louis. For a sometimes painfully-obvious man of God, Albert doesn't seem to get that his words are products of the same entity, one that he did not honor by stumbling through his unprepared and uncomfortable minutes before the camera. He certainly didn't do justice to God's Golden Rule. If he were a Cardinal fan I wonder what he would have expected from the person who stepped up to the microphone? I suppose that didn't enter his mind. Did he genuinely not feel any emotion toward the people in St. Louis? Or was he just a very rich, but unprepared speaker?

Albert, without realizing the golden opportunity presented to him Saturday, seized it to look stupid and ungrateful. Unfortunately, Cardinal fans now likely will never forgive him for that.

Bigger Picture

As I have read the accounts and analyses of the Albert Pujols divorce from the Cardinals and marriage to the Angels, I'm reminded of what I have always thought is the larger issue...Major League Baseball doesn't provide a level economic playing field for its teams.

Some scribes, especially a few who cover the Cardinals regularly, are grousing about the Cardinals' failure to get a deal done and a less-than-enthusiastic approach by management to the negotiations. A few seem to blame Pujols for spurning the opportunity to join the group of Cardinals Hall-of-Famers on Mount Redbird. Perhaps a little too close to the trees? Bernie Miklasz refuses to vilify anyone and points to the reasoned approach on both sides...essentially saying it's just too bad that something couldn't get done. I look at it this way...if the Cardinals really wanted to keep Albert, and why wouldn't they?, they should  not have had to be as concerned about a larger-market team with more resources being the major issue.

For many years now MLB has had their group of  "haves" and "have-nots". The Cardinals, only because of their fanatical fan base, fall somewhere in a gray area. They are a smaller market team that can walk a large-market walk only because they can rely on 3-million plus fans per year buying tickets. They don't have an enormous television deal, or any other of the myriad of revenue-producing options that would be available to them in the big 3 markets. (The Miami Marlins and their "funny money" offers were just an aberration in this market place.) Did anyone expect the Royals, Twins or anyone else not in New York, Chicago, Boston or Los Angeles to put a quarter-billion dollar offer on Albert's table? Nobody can prevent some teams, and their management groups from being stupid. (See-Mets; New York, Cubs; Chicago) But MLB's business model essentially says to the smaller market owners..."Welcome to our club. Oh, by the way, there's our mega-team cigar lounge over there that maybe someday you'll be able to use. Good luck."

The NFL, NBA and NHL have their salary caps. While cumbersome and annoying at times, they at least give the teams in their business a chance to compete fairly for players no matter the market size. MLB has a payroll tax. Who really thinks that stops the big boys from spending as much as they want on a roster? If the Yankees, Red Sox, and a few others want a player, and he fits their needs, they sign him. There's not much thought given to whether it fits the budget. What budget? But when Mr. Selig and his management boys figure out that some of their teams have absolutely no chance to compete, at least regularly, for the championship maybe something will get done to fix the imbalance. But I doubt it.

I admire Bill DeWitt and John Mozeliak for putting an offer on the table to Albert that was reasonable, given their market conditions. I can't hate the Pujols/Lozano team for taking a better offer. The Cardinals had to do what made sense for their situation going forward, and I tend to think they knew there was a good chance that Pujols would go elsewhere. Whether the actions of Angel owner Arte Moreno and GM Jerry DiPoto are smart will be determined a few years down the road. But both of these teams are operating in a crazy economic set-up that needs to be fixed for the long-term health of the sport and so the Cardinals, or any team in a similar situation, and its super-star player shouldn't have to go through a long, drawn-out, and ultimately heart-breaking, process like this one. Competitive balance--a phrase MLB should get to know.

The Real Problem

-There was no suspension given to Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins for the enormous and frightening hit he doled out to Montreal's Max Pacioretty earlier this week. Pacioretty is the beneficiary of a severe concussion and cracked vertebra as a result of the violence.

As I see it the game has changed to the point where these kinds of violent occurrences will be more and more frequent. It is amazing to me that pro hockey hasn't seen someone lose their life or use of their arms and legs in recent years. The sport has changed dramatically in the last couple of decades.

In effect, you have people the size of football linemen and linebackers skating around dishing out colossal punishment to one another. It's no wonder the Blues and many other teams are dealing with scads of crippling injuries, and having to make excuses for them, on a regular basis. Watch a video of games played as recently as the 80's. Notice how much open ice there was for players to maneuver. It's all gone. The players now are all so huge, and so fast, that just getting around on the ice is like trying to park a semi in a bathroom. The only thing that will bring a level of safety, and I might add entertainment, back to this wonderful sport is changing the size of the playing surface.

I believe a movement toward instituting the Olympic-size ice sheet in all NHL buildings is way overdue. I tend to believe that most of the NHL owners and general managers know it. The problem is they can't make it happen without costing themselves tons of money. State-of-the-art buildings in North America would suddenly not be that anymore if the larger surface were adopted. Retrofitting existing buildings would be an engineering and logistical nightmare in most cases. So, guess what? It ain't gonna happen.

In '09 when I was invited to do the PA at the Blues-RedWings games in Stockholm, the ice surface at the Globe Arena had to be downsized to accommodate the NHL ice sheet. Looking at all that extra space outside the rink there was pretty amazing. They had stages set up for concerts. They had sets with couches and chairs for between-periods TV interviews. That's where the extra skating room would be if we adopted the international playing surface. That's where exciting scoring plays would develop. That's where injuries such as Pacioretty's likely wouldn't happen because there would be more room to maneuver. But that's also where all the "big bucks" tickets are in our North American buildings.

Every year the players get bigger, stronger and faster in the NHL. But the playing conditions and confines of the rink are largely the same as when 6 feet, 180 pounds was considered a big guy.   

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.