Thoughts from a Mizzou Fan on the 2015 Football Season

I have never seen anything like this in the 50 plus years I've been watching Mizzou play football. From a season in which the Quarterback was suspended and then kicked off the team to the team boycotting practice and demanding the resignation of the University President...to the Head Coach saying he was resigning because of his health, it certainly made for a unique year.

I am sorry QB Maty Mauk has been through such a pressure filled time in his life.  His father is battling cancer and I personally know that is a major mental challenge.  Maty Mauk also felt the pressure of a huge fan base dis-satisfied with his offense's inability to the move the ball.  Some of it was Mauk's fault but a large portion of the failure rested squarely on the shoulders of the offensive line.  This is more pressure than most 21 year old kids can handle and ultimately Mauk succumbed to it.  Apparently he also made a poor decision by placing himself in a position where he would get into trouble.  You know the result.  Head coach Gary Pinkel removed him from the team permanently.  I certainly wish Maty Mauk well and hope he can get some help and land on his feet somewhere he can contribute.  Mauk is a gifted athlete.

I have mixed emotions about the President of the University retiring.  I understand the frustration with the way minorities have been treated at times in Columbia.  I am white but I get it.  Keep in mind though that Columbia is probably the most liberal city in the state of Missouri.  But, it is in a region known as "LittleDixie".  I was not there to witness any of the insults but my belief is the insults and epithets were hurled by non-University of Missouri students in an effort to create racial disharmony.  The motivation is difficult to comprehend but the world is full of stupid ignorant people.  As far as TimWolfe resigning I believe it should not have happened.  As one much wiser than me put it..."how is one man supposed to stop racism in an entire state".  Wolfe could have been more transparent when approached by African American students but he should not have been terminated.  The Chancellor of the Columbia campus also resigned under fire.  R. Bowen Loftin had been the object of African American wrath for several months until the day of the University's Homecoming parade.  At that time an incident involving Wolfe and his car in the parade turned the wrath to him.  I do believe Loftin's resignation should have happened sooner.

This post is getting long so I will cut to the chase.  I am sorry that Gary Pinkel is resigning after restoring pride to a program that had been a laughing stock of the nation until this millennium.  Pinkel never got to a BCS game or won a Conference Title but he took Mizzou to the next level when he won divisional titles on four occasions in the Big 12 and SEC Conferences.  While I am sad to see Coach Pinkel go, I applaud his looking after his health and spending time with his family. Gary Pinkel you will be missed.

And finally while the Tigers could have played in a bowl game with a mediocre 5-7 record, I am glad they chose not to seek the NCAA's approval to play in one as did Minnesota and Nebraska. Missouri stated its reason as focusing on a new head coach and staff and recruiting for the future.  I am pleased with the selection of Barry Odom as the new head coach.  Odom is a former Tiger player and has distinguished himself as a top level Defensive Coordinator.  His players are glad he is going to be the boss. I'm pleased with him bringing in new staff for the 2016 season.  I hope the changes will take the Tigers to the next level.  But I know as a season ticket holder, alum and Tiger fan Odom will have his hands full in 2016 when he has road games at West Virginia, LSU, Florida, SouthCarolina, and Tennessee.  I am optimistic about the 2016 season.  But to wrap this up I hope I never see events at my beloved Alma Mater as I lived through this past season.  M-I-Z!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have been so richly blessed by God Almighty I sometimes take those things for granted. I cannot express my thanks for the love shown to me by my family and friends. I live in a nation where I am free to worship as I wish; a nation where I am free to come and go wherever I wish whenever I want. I have a warm roof over my head and a comfortable bed to sleep in each night. This is made possible by the sacrifices of others who put their lives on the line to protect me 24 hours a day. When I open the fridge there is way more in it than I have ever done anything to deserve. If I want for anything I have been given the means to buy it by the work I've been given at a great organization. For all of these and all past blessings I say thank you Lord!! Happy Thanksgiving!

My take on Baseball's Post Season

It's taken me about three weeks to get past the Cardinals being eliminated from the MLB playoffs to be able to write about their demise and this post-season.

The Cardinals were beaten by a better Chicago Cubs team three weeks ago.  The Cubs pitching and timely hitting for power was more than the worn out Birds pitching staff could handle.  I am a fan of Cardinals manager Mike Matheny but also think he may have over worked his staff during the regular season.  But, then who am I to argue with his success.  The Cards won 100 games this year, more than any other club in Major League Baseball.  Matheny did a great job of running the Cards even when the club was torn up with injuries.  I will remember this season because of all the lost games to key players all season long.

As far as the rest of the Playoffs:

-I was surprised at how easily the Mets swept the Cubs in the NLCS.  I thought the Cubs had their best chance in years to make it to the World Series.  But the Mets' pitching was even better than the Cubbies.  And pitching and defense win championships.  As I write this the Mets are down three games to one in the Series.  The Mets' defense has cost them two games already and I would not be surprised to see the Kansas City Royals clinch the Series tonight.

-Royals and Blue Jays players showing up the other team after hitting home runs is disgusting.  José Bautista's flipping his bat after his home run in the final game of the Blue Jay - Rangers' series was sickening.  Bautista had better be looking for a fastball in his back the first game they meet in 2016.  Likewise, Kendrys Morales' behavior after jacking a homer against the Astros was also immature.  His skipping around the bases like a six year old girl will also be welcomed with a fastball to the back the first time those two teams meet next year.

I am looking forward to the 2016 MLB season and watching my beloved Cardinals play in the NL Central, the toughest division in baseball.  The Cubs are going to be good for a while, the Pirates are good and the Brewers and Reds should also get better.  And it all starts in just 155 days! Woo-Hoo!

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Stupid TV Ads

If you've watched any post season baseball or NFL Football you've probably seen several ads repeated over and over and over until you just want to hurl.

The commercial for Viagra with the bimbo spouting off at the mouth about erectile dysfunction must have been written by a moron.  Seriously, does the ad agency and the pharmaceutical company that makes Viagra think this broad in the Cowboys jersey knows anything about football or ED?  And she just isn't that hot.  If this is selling product for big Pharma then the American Public must be even dumber than I give it credit.  But, then Will Rogers once said you will never go broke under estimating the intelligence of the American Public.

Another obnoxious TV add is for "Fan Duel".  Based on the number of times this ad has popped up in Post-Season and on the NFL there must be a ton of money in the "Fantasy Sports" business.  (And  it's not fantasy sports, it's legalized gambling).  But, it gets repeated over and over just like the Viagra spot.  Enough is enough.  I find it interesting these ads are being shown in prime time and on Sunday afternoons when young kids are watching.  Can you imagine some kid asking his old man "Daddy what is erectile dysfunction"?  (I sure am glad I don't have small children while this crap runs on my TV).

Maybe I'm wrong but I have to think the people watching sports on TV aren't all gambling addicts who can't get an erection.  What is this country coming to?

Congratulations Cardinals!

As I write this my beloved St. Louis Cardinals are playing their final day of the 2015 Major League Baseball season.  The Cards have clinched the toughest division in baseball; the National League Central and have won 100 games with two left to play.  That has guaranteed the Birds home field advantage throughout the playoffs. (Except for the World Series in which home field advantage is decided by MLB's inane policy of which league wins the All-Star Game).

The Cards lost their best pitcher at the start of the season, were without an all star catcher for several months, lost their best outfielder on two occasions of more than a month each and had each player on the infield each miss several weeks of playing time.  Still, they were resilient and never quit coming after their opponent game after game after game.

My thought is the glue that held this team together throughout the year was manager Mike Matheny.  Matheny is in his fourth year with the Cardinals and each year has gotten the club into the post season.  Without Matheny's leadership and the strength of the Redbirds farm system they would have been hard pressed to be a contender.  Yet, here they are on the final day of the regular season with 100 wins.  I don't have a vote for manager of the year but if I did it would go to Matheny.

Good luck to Mike Matheny and the Redbirds as they start their playoff hunt this Friday against the winner of the Cubs and Pirates wild card game.

Happy First Day of Fall

Happy Fall to you! I had a good summer but now it's time for Autumn things.

I look forward to spending Saturdays outside watching my beloved Missouri Tigers and tailgating on crisp afternoons. I look forward to the weekend bonfires and seeing friends when there is a chill in the air.  I look forward to seeing the leaves change in what is known locally as the "Flaming Fall Review".  I look forward to seeing any number of ghosts and goblins ringing my doorbell and telling me the same old jokes I have heard for the last 50 years.  Simply put it is great to be alive.

This post is not the most important one I have ever written but it makes me happy to think about the new season.  I hope you have a great Autumn!

This Could be Another Ugly Season

I'm sitting here watching the St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans play a preseason game.  The second preseason game of the year.  Yeah, I know its early, but the Rams are just, well, ugly.  As I write it is 20-7 Titans.  The first teamers are the ones to watch in these preseason games and the Rams first string stunk up the field.  They gave up 20 first half points and it could have been worse.

This may be the final season in St. Louis for the Rams and I will cheer for them as I have in the past but if they leave I will revert back to my other favorite team, the Kansas City Chiefs.  Come on Rams.  Let's make it a final season to remember.

Happy Day Off...I Need It

I am enjoying a well needed day off from my job.  Let's say things are not going well.  Some of it is my fault, some is not.  But, there is a personality clash with my new manager PK who has no clue what I do nor does he care to learn.

I believe my days are probably numbered and I have started looking around.  Stay tuned to see if I find a new job before I get canned.  In the meantime I am drinking an ice cold beer and right now I really don't care about work.  Cheers!

Summer has Returned

Last week I had written of unseasonably cold temperatures in July.  Suffice it to say, Summer is back and with a vengeance.  Monday and yesterday the temperature reached into the upper 90's with heat indices of about 110 each day.

If you don't like hot weather just wait a day or two and it will change.  If you can live in the Midwest of the United States you can live anywhere.

It'll Be a Cold Day in July...

Today is that proverbial cold day in July.  Normally the high for the first full week of July is in the upper 80s.  Today it was 59 degrees when I left for work and only 66 when I went to lunch.  After sitting in a chilly office all day I came out to a cold damp car and turned the heater on for the drive home.  And I have to say as funny as it sounds the heat felt great.  I do enjoy the cooler weather but it won't last.  The temperature is forecast to reach into the mid 90's by this weekend.

Maybe the cold day in July explains the Chicago Cubs sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in a day night doubleheader yesterday at Wrigley Field.  The Cubs won the day game 7-4 and the nightcap 5-3.  Still at the halfway mark of the season the Cardinals are 24 games over .500 at 54-30 and 7 /12 games ahead of the Cubbies.

Hopefully when the weather warms back up to where it should be the pennant race will be all but over.  If the Cardinals play .500 ball the rest of the way it will give them a total of 93 wins.  That will easily put them into the playoffs.

What is so Rare as a Day in June...

I suppose the answer to James Russell Lowell's question is nothing.  The first 29 days of June though have been memorable as the Supreme Court has rendered several opinions affecting its citizens.

I don't have time to write about my take on the rulings but suffice it to say, the Supreme Court should not be legislating morality as it did on Friday in the gay marriage decision.  Its role is to INTERPRET the law.  It failed on Friday.  Earlier in the week the court did its job and let stand the latest attack on the so called "Obama Care".  Its decision upheld the legality of the act in its latest and probably most significant challenge.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I will write more on what has happened when I have the time.  I have been busy but I know you have too so thanks for taking the time to read this.  I shall write again soon.

Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day to those of you who live in the United States of America!  I thank our veterans for giving me the freedom to live where I want and to have the freedom to do whatever I want whenver I like.  For those of you who have put your life on the line so I may sleep easily each night I am grateful!

To all veterans whether you are at home or abroad, be you active duty, reserves or retired, all Americans say thank you!

Ten Years and Counting

It was ten years ago this Memorial Day weekend I started this blog called "The Anti-Post".  The original goal was to take a critical look at the media in this community in which I live.  But, since then it has expanded to become a forum for whatever is on my mind.  There have never been a huge number of hits to it and that's fine.  As a journalist it gives me a place to write what's on my mind.

In the past ten years I have written about my work world, about losing a job in the economic downturn of 2008 and the adventure of finding a new job.  I have had the opportunity to write about two world championships for my favorite baseball team.  This blog has allowed me to express myself on US Supreme Court decisions such as the day it ruled corporations had the same rights as individuals.  And it has given me a chance to cheer for my Alma Mater in football and basketball.
M-I-Z!

I would like to write more than I do but like everyone else my age there are a lot of responsibilities in this life.  I hope to retire in the next several years and hopefully that will give me the time to write more.  But, for now I will post when I can.  Finally, thank you, the readers, for the hits I have gotten in the past decade.  It never fails to amaze where that next hit will come from be it somewhere in the South Pacific or Europe or Asia.  Thank you and I look forward to the next ten years.

Apparently It Wasn't Fixed and Other Thoughts on a Rainy April Day

Happy April!

If you look at the post below this one you probably think the writer of this blog is a moron.  He really isn't but was a little over confident in the athleticism of the Kentucky basketball team.  If you watched the game you know Wisconsin was the better team that night.  And the Wildcats could have lost the week before to Notre Dame in the Elite Eight.  With my apologies to Wisconsin I was wrong.

-Congratulations to the Duke Blue Devils!  When the tournament started I really hadn't given them much consideration.  But, from past experience knew not to count them out.  When your team is led by Coach K, you have a chance of winning it all.

-Baseball season is underway again and Spring has arrived where I live.  As you know I am a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan.  I believe every Opening Day that the Cardinals will win the World Series.  Maybe I am an optimist. The Birds have the pitching this year to win it all.  But I am concerned about the team's apparent lack of power.  I will re-visit this topic in a few weeks when we have seen a few more games.

I am at work as I write this so have to start doing what I get paid for.  Thanks for reading and come back soon for more of my incite into the world.

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If Kentucky Doesn't Win the Touirnament, It's Fixed

As I write I am watching the Kentucky Wildcats play Cincinnati in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Round of 32. Kentucky has played poorly in the first half and the Bearcats have busted their butts but Kentucky still leads by seven at the half.

The Wildcats are 35-0 entering this game and should end up 40-0 when they are crowned NCAA National Champions on April 6th.  With five first round NBA draft picks starting and the next five kids off the bench good enough to have their own team ranked in the Top 20 no one will beat them.

Happy Ides of March

It's been about four weeks since I last wrote and it has been a relatively uneventful period.  Maybe the biggest thing to happen is Mizzou Basketball ended its season at 9-22 and Spring Football Practice has begun.  Mizzou's first home game is only five and a half months away.

Other random thoughts on this Sunday morning...

-"The Americans" may be the best show on television right now.  It is a spy drama set in the early 80s focusing on two Russian spies embedded in Washington D.C. and their neighbor who works in counter espionage for the FBI.  If you haven't seen it yet check it out on FX on Wednesday nights at nine.

-Good riddance to "Two and a half Men".  It had its series finale several weeks ago and for the most part it was unremarkable. Jon Cryer is a very good actor and his portrayal of Alan Harper was very good.  The rest of the show turned to mediocrity after the departure of Charlie Sheen.  I thought it vindictive of the writers to kill off his character in the finale.

-And finally, the worst commercials on TV are still those for Sonic Hamburgers.  The two gay guys in the commercial make me turn the channel whenever I see one of the ads.

That's it.  Happy Ides of March to you. And a Happy St. Patrick's Day to my Irish friends as well.

Brrr...

If you've read this Blog at all you know how much I dislike Winter.  To paraphrase the old standard, (sung to the tune of "I Love Paris"), "I hate Missouri in the Winter, I hate winter in St. Lou, I hate winter all the winter, oh this winter, I hate winter why don't you".

We dodged a bullet yesterday but I still got a snow day, when my employer shut down for the latest version of "Snowmageddon".  That is the term one of the local TV stations actually used on its' forecast Sunday night.  Snowmageddon turned out to be a whopping three inches.  Yesterday I enjoyed the day off and never left the house all day even though my driveway needs shovelling.  And I probably should have done it while it was relatively warm.  The forecast now calls for the temperature to be below freezing from now until next Thursday, except for several hours this Saturday.  Still, I'm not complaining since it has been a relatively mild Winter to this point.

My driveway will remain covered with snow for this period.  Since, the good Lord put it there who am I to move it  until the good Lord melts it.

Super Bowl 49 Thoughts

Seattle should have won Super Bowl XLIX (Every time I look at those Roman Numerals I think they belong to a Mexican radio station).

Pete Carroll outsmarted himself by not running on second and goal from the one yard line with a timeout left late in the 4th quarter.  Seattle's Offensive line had been winning the war in the trenches for most of the quarter.  With Marshawn Lynch going into "Beast" mode I doubt the Patriots defense, even with nine men in the box, could have stopped Seattle.  So, the Seahawks management decided to stop themselves and lost to New England 28-24.

The game reminded me of Super Bowl 36 when the Patriots pulled off a huge upset by beating the Saint Louis Rams 20-17.  The Rams had All Pro and future Hall of Fame Running Back Marshall Faulk in the backfield.  But, the Rams Head Coach "Mad" Mike Martz decided to throw the ball all afternoon. That didn't work out so well for the Rams and they lost to an inferior team which just happened to be quarterbacked by Tom Brady and coached by Bill Belichick.

Oh and one final thought.  Belichick and the Patriots cheated that year too, as they spied on the Rams in their practices leading up to the Superbowl New Orleans.  I guess the saying "Once a cheater, always a cheater" is true.

The Who Cares Superbowl

We are about four hours away from Super Bowl 49 in suburban Phoenix.  Most years I have a team I want to win.  This year I really don't care who wins the game.

I'm not a fan of either team.  I can't root for the Patriots.  The team's head coach Bill Belichick is a cheater who's been caught on more than one occasion.  And the coach of the Seahawks, Pete Carroll isn't exactly a choir boy.  To put it mildly I think Carroll is a sleazeball who jumps ship at the first sign of adversity. He got out of Los Angeles one step ahead of the NCAA.

Another thing about the Seahawks I don't care for is their players strange behavior.  These idiots look into a TV camera and scream.  I've heard the talk of them taking Adderall to play better. Maybe that explains the moronic behavior.

I will root for a good game.  If not I might turn on one of the marathons on a satellite channel.

Mizzou is as Bad as Promised

In the post below this one I stated it would be a long winter in Columbia.  Well, its four weeks later and it is.  The Missouri Tigers are 7-13 overall and 1-6 in a mediocre SEC basketball conference and have lost six in a row.  As I write this they are losing to Ole Miss (13-7 & 4-3) by 17 with six minutes to go in the game at Columbia.

This is not Mizzou coach Kim Anderson's fault.  But, rather the a problem created by former coach Frank Haith who bolted to Tulsa after last season and left the cupboard bare.  Anderson will rebuild the program but it is going to take some time.

Note:  Mizzou ended up losing to Ole Miss 67-47 shortly after this was posted.

It's Going to be a Very Long Season for Missouri

As I write this my beloved Mizzou Tigers are struggling to beat Lipscomb University on the Tigers home floor in Columbia.  The fact of the matter is this is not a very good Missouri team.  In fact to be honest its a terrible basketball team.

To give you a little background Kim Anderson took over the Tigers basketball program this past spring after winning the NCAA Division 1-A Title at Central Missouri State.  I am a fan of Kim Anderson.  I watched him play at Mizzou and I watched the Tigers while he was an assistant to former head coach Norm Stewart.  Bottom line is Anderson knows the game, he knows how to coach and he knows how to recruit.

The problem is the person who had the program prior to Anderson is an opportunistic selfish man who left town as fast as he could to go to a smaller school at Tulsa.  His name is Frank Haith and he left the cupboard bare for Anderson.  Really, there is very little talent in Columbia and the Tigers are going to struggle in a mediocre SEC conference this season.

Give Anderson time and the Tigers will be back and competing against the powers in the SEC.  But for the rest of this basketball season and next year the Tigers will struggle against average teams and be overwhelmed by good teams.

As a Missouri Tiger fan I will continue to support them through the bad times and then into the good times.  Good Luck to Kim Anderson and his staff while they turn around this program.

For the record the game just ended and Missouri took advantage of poor shooting by Lipscomb to win the game 72-60.

Happy New Year!

I saw the New Year in the same way I did 2014.  I slept right through midnight and didn't wake up until about two am when I had to get up for a few minutes.  As far as I'm concerned it was the perfect way to start the year without having to deal with amateurs and immature drunks and the prospect of being pulled over at a sobriety roadblock.  I was in bed early and slept like a baby.

Here's hoping 2015 brings you and your family a year filled with health, peace and prosperity!  Happy New Year!

How 'Bout Them Tigers

It's been almost a day and I'm still basking in the after glow of my Missouri Tigers 33-17 win over the Minnesota Gophers in the 2015 Citrus Bowl.

The Tigers were tentative in the first quarter, but settled down in the second quarter and when they took care of the ball they were able to move and score on a tough Minnesota defense.

But, the real difference in the game came as Mizzou's offensive line beat up on the Minnesota defensive line and Mizzou started to move the ball at will.  Twice in the 4th quarter the Tigers went on long runs.  Russell Hanbrough went 78 yards from scrimmage for one touchdown and Marcus Murphy took the ball 50 yards on another carry to set up the Tigers final score of the day.

Congratulations to Head Coach Gary Pinkel and the seniors on this team that end the year at 11-3.  The Golden Gophers end the year at 8-5.

And finally, farewell to Mizzou Defensive Coordinator Dave Steckel who is head to Springfield and the head job at Missouri State.  I wish you well coach Stec.