Congratulations Simba!

Photo Courtesy ESPN.com

Former St. Louis Cardinal catcher Ted Simmons is finally in the baseball Hall of Fame.  Simmons was elected to the Hall this past week by the 16 member Modern Baseball Era committee.

Simmons played 21 years in the "show" with 13 of them in St. Louis, five in Milwaukee and the final three years with the Atlanta Braves.  Simmons retired after the 1988 season but was snubbed repeatedly by baseball writers.  But, this past Sunday night Simmons received the recognition he has long deserved.  He played in eight All-Star games during his career and ended up with a .285 lifetime average, 248 homers and 1389 RBI.  Granted those numbers are not overly impressive for outfielders and corner infielders, but for a catcher they are very good and compare favorably with other catchers who have been selected to the Hall of Fame.

I had the chance to watch Simmons in person on numerous occasions during the 70's.  I remember Simmons as one of the few bright spots in an otherwise crappy lineup.  He hit over .300 on five occasions during the decade.  Congratulations Ted Simmons!

Simmons will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 26, 2020 in Cooperstown, New York.  In addition Marvin Miller, who was a labor executive in the same era that Simmons played, will also be inducted along with the class of 2020 which will be selected in January.

Barry Odom Dismissed by Mizzou

I had heard the rumors all week and had hoped they were wrong. But, this morning my beloved University of Missouri fired Head Football Coach Barry Odom after finishing the year with a 6-6 record.

The season started full of promise and the Mizzou PR machine cranked out enough crap that many of us bought into the belief this could be the university's best football team in ten years.  After all the Tigers had their toughest SEC opponents at home and a relatively easy non-conference schedule.  Plus the MU hype machine told the fan base that Kelly Bryant was the second coming of Chase Daniel.

I should have known something was wrong when the Tigers shot themselves in the foot in their season opener at Wyoming.  Mizzou scored two touchdowns on its first two possessions only to be outscored the rest of the way by a mid major.that ended the year with a 7-5 record.

But then the team bounced back winning five in a row (all at home) against the likes of West Virginia, South Carolina and Ole Miss. In fact after beating Mississippi on October 12th the Tigers were ranked at #22 in the nation.  And that was the beginning of the end.

Mizzou went on the road for games at Vanderbilt and Kentucky and lost both of them to two, to be honest, crappy football teams.  In the process Missouri looked terrible and fans and friends started to question just how good the team was.  The following week certainly didn't help as Mizzou had to play Georgia in Athens.  And the #4 Bulldogs dominated the Tigers in all facets of the game shutting out Missouri 27-0.

It just got worse, the following week Florida came to Columbia and the #8 Gators shut down the Tigers 23-6.  And the Tigers again couldn't find the end zone.  The last time that happened was against Kentucky two weeks prior.  The fans in my section at Faurot Field were irate at the end of the game at the lack of offense.  But, there was hope the Tigers would get bowl eligible the following week against Tennessee.  (As an aside, bowl eligibility became academic since the NCAA ruled against Missouri's appeal in late November for losing institutional control to a woman who wrote papers and took tests for players on her own before deciding to turn the football, baseball and softball teams into the NCAA).

The win against Tennessee never happened.  The Vols beat Mizzou 24-20 in a game in which Mizzou struggled to move the ball in the second half.  Tennessee was obviously the better team and as I walked back to my parking space I stopped to use the men's room in the Hearnes building and fans were banging the stalls chanting "Fire Odom now!"  In retrospect, Coach Odom had one week left.

His final game was against a horrible Arkansas team yesterday afternoon in a half full War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.  After five straight losses Mizzou won by a count of 24-14.  Both teams were using quarterbacks that were barely on the roster at the start of the season.  Arkansas ended the year at 2-10 and lost every game in the SEC with the wins coming against mid major schools.  To put it bluntly Arkansas was terrible.

So, having finished the season with a win, I was optimistic Odom would be retained for one more year since his contract had been extended by two years in 2018.  I also thought the Athletic Department would insist on changes in his coaching staff, especially demanding the replacement of offensive coordinator Derek Dooley who had come to Mizzou before the 2018 season.  Well, I was correct.  Dooley and all of the Tigers assistants are probably out of jobs now depending on whom Mizzou Athletic Director Jim Sterk decides to hire.  According to what I heard this afternoon Sterk is conducting a "national search"for the next head coach.  (National search, is code for please keep buying season tickets and contributing money to the athletic scholarship fund, while we try to figure out what we're doing).

One thing people need to remember about this season is the Tigers lost their best defensive player in Cale Garrett the first week of October in the game against Troy.  Garrett dominated opposing offenses and was a preseason first team all SEC pick.  The Tigers also had numerous injuries on defense that led to both starting corners being out of the game against Tennessee.  There's no doubt Tennessee took advantage of the younger inexperienced defensive backs who started the game for Mizzou.  And it ended up costing Missouri the game.  You certainly couldn't blame Odom for the injuries.

The question I will always have, unless it comes out at some point, is what happened to the team between the Ole Miss game and the Vanderbilt games?  Mizzou was confident and its offense moved the ball at will against the Rebels.  Seven days later in Nashville, the Tigers were feckless.  And the offense remained that way for the rest of the season.  Granted Clemson transfer QB Kelly Bryant was nagged by injuries for the rest of the season.  But, at times it appeared as if the offense was just going through the motions.  What happened on the practice field or in the locker room to cause this breakdown?  Was there dissension on the team and if so what caused it?  And if it did exist why wasn't this coaching staff able to stop it?  My point is the Tigers looked like two different teams from the time they were 5-1 and the next game against Vandy.  I hope one of the young reporters in the University of Missouri Journalism school might be able to come up with an answer, if in fact there was a split between the players.

I've been watching Missouri for 50 years since I saw my first Mizzou game in 1969 against Illinois.  So, I'm not about to give up my season tickets now and stop donating to the university.  But, if someone from the Athletic Department reads this I want them to know I am not happy about the dismissal of Barry Odom.  Hopefully Mizzou is not starting that cycle of hiring a coach, firing him five years later and blowing up the program in the process.  Hopefully there are people in the department who remember that 20 year period the Tigers went through in the 80s and 90s where Missouri rarely had winning teams or went bowling.  Jim Sterk take your time in hiring a new coach and please pay them more than most other SEC coaches are making.  The state, alums of Mizzou and football fans of the Tigers deserve the best.

Game Seven = 3:42

Image Courtesy Washington Nationals

Congratulations to the Washington Nationals on winning the 2019 World Series over the Houston Astros four games to three.  It's the first time the visiting team has won all seven games in a World Series.  The Nationals came from behind last night to beat Houston 6-2.  It also marks the first time the Nationals / Montreal Expos have won a world series since this franchise came into the National League in 1969.

This final game of 2019 lasted three hours and 42 minutes.  In that time a commercial airliner could have left Washington D.C. and flown to Houston, disembarked its passengers and still had 12 minutes left for them to see the end of the game.  Keep in mind this was a nine inning game.

The average time of game in this year's world series was a tedious three hours and 46 minutes.  The times I have used for all of these games has been published by Major League Baseball in each game's box-score.

All together it took 26 hours and 18 minutes to "play" the seven games.  I doubt too many people watched all seven of the contests from start to finish.  I certainly didn't have a day of my life to lose to these monumental snooze fests.

I wrote it yesterday and I am repeating it now.  Wake up MLB.  If  you want your game to regain its position as the national past time you need to do something soon to speed up the games.  The cosmetic changes you've made the last few years won't cut much time off of them.

I've written repeatedly that to resolve the problem you need to keep the batters in the box and the pitchers on the rubber.  Make the umpires call the strike zone as it is written and stop granting time out to hitters whenever the mood strikes them.  You also need to tell your television partners enough is enough.   Cut back on the commercial breaks
between innings to 90 seconds.  This will speed up the games and return them to the two to two and a half hour time frame most of us grew up watching.

Game Six = 3:37

Image courtesy MLB.

The World Series is knotted at three games apiece and heads to the final game tonight in Houston.  The Nats bounced back in Game 6 to beat the Astros in Houston 7-2 in a game marked by an ugly display of sportsmanship by the Astros Alex Bregman.  And for the sixth consecutive game the visiting team won the game.

Bregman apologized to the Nationals and his teammates for carrying his bat down the first base line and into fair territory before finally dropping it on the infield after homering off of Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg in the first inning.  He may have apologized, but the 25 year old third baseman knows better than to show up the other team and disrespect the other pitcher.  Strasburg and the Nationals handled it well last night.  But, I would almost bet my last dollar Bregman will be repaid the first time the two teams play in Spring Training next year.  Bregman's action was totally uncalled for and he will most likely be sporting a huge bruise on his backside the first time he digs in against any Nationals pitcher.  What makes it likely to happen sooner rather than later is both teams share the same training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida.  They are schedule to meet again on February 23rd, 2020.

Juan Soto pulled the same stunt two innings later when he homered off of Astros starter Justin Verlander.  Soto too, ran to first base carrying his bat in an obvious attempt to copy Bregman.  It too was a douche move and he will pay for it next spring too.  He should get drilled even harder than Bregman for his classless move.

I don't recall a World Series in which the visiting has won all of the games.  All of the Series games have been won by home teams three times including 1987 when the Minnesota Twins beat my beloved St. Louis Cardinals four games to three.  It was most recently done in 2001 when the Arizona Diamondbacks out battled the New York Yankees.

Finally, while 3 hours 37 minutes is shorter than the four hour marathons of last week, it is still way too long for grade school kids living in Washington and Houston to stay up to the end of the game.  Wake up MLB!

Game Five = 3:19

Image courtesy MLB.

The Houston Astros won Game Five 7-1 over the Washington Nationals to take a three to two lead in games and move within one game of winning its second title in three years.  And for the fifth time in five games the visitors got the win.

This became the fastest game played in this World Series at 3:19.  Notice I did not write just 3:19 because three hours and 19 minutes for a 9 inning game is still way too long.

The teams are off for a travel day today.  The 2019 World Series will continue in Houston tomorrow evening at seven p.m.

Game Four = 3:48

Image courtesy MLB.

This was the quickest game of the series to date as the Astros again beat the Nationals 8-1.  Houston tied the 2019 World Series
at two games each and returned home field advantage to themselves.  This game also marked the fourth of four times in this series the visiting team won.

Game five is scheduled for tonight.

Game Three = 4:03

Image courtesy MLB.

This was the longest game of the 2019 World Series yet as the Houston Astros bounced back to beat the Washington Nationals 4-1.  It was painfully slow and some of the at bats were almost unbearable to watch.

I got home from a completed high school football game that started the same time as Game three only to find the baseball game in just the bottom of the fifth inning. Ryan Zimmerman was the hitter and he wandered in and out of the batters box like a puppy lost in new surroundings.  Zimmerman eventually struck out but I swear the AB lasted ten minutes.

As a point of comparison, in the four hours and three minutes the game lasted a person could have left O'Hare airport in Chicago and flown to LAX in Los Angeles.  The distance between the two cities is 2100 miles.

The series is set to resume tonight with Game four.

Game Two = 4:01

Image Courtesy MLB

Game Two of the 2019 World Series was won by the Washington Nationals 12-3 over the Houston Astros.  The game moved at a snail's pace and last over four hours.  That is way too long for a nine inning baseball game.  The first six innings were interesting.  In the 7th the Nats blew it open with a six run inning that seemed to last forever.  I watched early on in the game but then turned it off to watch the last hour of ABC's comedy night.  And the sitcoms were more interesting than the World Series.  Game Three will be played on Friday night in Washington D.C.

Game One = 3:43

Courtesy of MLB

The first game of the 2019 World Series is in the books with Washington winning 5-4 in a game that lasted 3 h ours and 43 minutes.  I saw a couple of talking heads on TV this morning refer to it as exciting.  It definitely was not.

There were 13 strikeouts, four walks and three home runs in the game.

The two teams are back at it again tonight in Houston.  I will probably watch the ABC prime time comedy lineup instead of baseball.

Thoughts on the 2019 World Series

Image courtesy MLB

I believe it was Casey Stengel who asked "if this is so important why do we play it every year?"  He was referring to the World Series and he makes a valid point.

Major League Baseball (MLB) is holding its annual best of seven series to determine the best baseball team in the "world".  This 115th series is being contested by the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals.  I will be cheering for the 'Stros, and predict they will win it four games to two, but to be honest really don't care who wins.

In fact, I don't plan on watching much of it on TV.  MLB games are way too long to begin with and with the added commercials in a World Series, they will become more unbearable.  Last year's average game in the "Fall Classic" lasted 3:33.  If the series goes seven games and I doubt it will take over 24 hours to watch all of the games from start to finish.  At my age I don't have a day to waste watching a bunch of overpaid undisciplined hitters swing from the heels and play "Home Run Derby".  It seems as if many of the at bats come down to three results; a walk, strikeout or home run.

I will follow the games on my phone with "The Score" app.  That way I can do what I want to do rather than be held hostage by MLB and Fox TV.

Wow, Did I Miss Calling that Series!

In my previous post of nine days ago I predicted the Atlanta Braves would sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in a National League Divisional Series.  I blew the call.  The Cards won the series three games to two this afternoon and advance to the National League Championship Series against either the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Washington Nationals.  (The outcome has not been determined as I write this).

In the decisive game this afternoon the Cards scored ten runs in the first inning and the rest, as they say, is history.  Redbird starter Jack Flaherty was sharp and pitched six strong innings giving up only one run as the Cards went on to win 13-1.  Flaherty is only 23 years old and if you are not familiar with him, watch him pitch.  He is something special and might be one of the great ones if he stays healthy.  Many times this season he pitched when his teammates did not give him run support or the bullpen blew a save.  But, he still  posted an 11-8 record with an ERA of just 2.75.

This Cardinal team has surpassed my expectations, especially when you think how feckless it was at the All-Star break. On July 12 the Birds were 44-45, three games back of the then division leading Chicago Cubs.  I don't know what will happen from this point on but the rest of the season is gravy.  Game one of the NLCS will be Friday night in either Los Angeles or St. Louis.

So Long September

My St. Louis Cardinals wrapped up the 2019 season by playing mediocre baseball in a mediocre division.  The Birds won the National League Central Division with a record of 91-71, two games ahead of a beat up Milwaukee Brewers team and seven games in front of an overrated Chicago Cubs team.  Next up the Cards will play the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series starting on Thursday October 3rd in Atlanta.  I wouldn't be surprised to see the Braves sweep the Cards.

In football my beloved Missouri Tigers are off to a 3-1 start after having laid a big turd in Laramie, Wyoming in the season opener.  Mizzou wasn't ready for the Cowboys and lost the contest despite getting up 14-0 on its first two possessions.  Since then they have played two bad teams in West Virginia and Southeast Missouri.  They pounded South Carolina 34-14 two weeks ago, but South Carolina will be lucky to finish with a .500 record in the SEC.

And I won't miss the heat of September.  This has been one of the warmest September's I can remember in my life and I am old.  The temperature today was 94 degrees on the last day of the month.  I look forward to cooler fall temperatures.  But, at the same time I don't look forward to the cold and snow of the season that comes after fall.

That's my take on the completed month.  Talk to you in October.

I Couldn't Have Said It Any Better

Courtesy Wikipedia

If you read this blog regularly you know I am a huge fan of baseball.  I am also a huge critic of Major League Baseball. (MLB).  I have  recently written and will continue to write how the games have become boring at the big league level because they get played at a snail's pace.  As background, here is an article I posted a year ago June critical of MLB for making it so boring.

This past Wednesday National Public Radio (NPR) sports commentator Mike Pesca offered the same opinion that the game is too slow and boring.

To hear his commentary you can go to this page and listen to or download Pesca's thoughts on how slow the game is being played at the highest level.

Congratulations Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2019

Baseball inducted six new members into its Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY this afternoon.  The class is comprised of Mike Mussina, the late Roy Halladay, Harold Baines, Edgar Martinez, Lee Smith and Mariano Rivera.

I have written previously of my experiences watching Baines and Smith.  While they did not make it initially on their retirement, they were selected by the Today's Game Era committee in December. Both posted numbers worthy of Hall of Fame induction.  Smith's arrival was delayed for several years because of his role as a closer.  Baines' admission was delayed by the long overdue consideration of designated heroes.

Lee Smith's HOF plaque pictures him in a Chicago Cubs cap.  But, he also spoke fondly of his years with the Cardinals.  He thanked his former manager with the Redbirds, Joe Torre, for the guidance and direction he received while playing in St.Louis.  He also spoke highly of Cardinal fans saying they were always supportive of him during his three and a half years with the Cardinals.

I don't ever recall seeing Mike Mussina pitch in person but I saw him throw on TV many times. I can recall him battling in the World Series against the Diamondbacks in 2001 and the Marlins in 2003. In all Mussina pitched in 16 post season series and won seven games.  That may not be a lot but each of those were big wins for the Yankees. During his long career with the Orioles and Yankees he started 536 games and won 270 of them while striking out over 2800 batters along the way.

Roy Halladay joined the Hall posthumously following his retirement after the 2013 season from the Philadelphia Phillies.  He died an untimely death when the plane he was piloting crashed into the Gulf of Mexico in November 2017.  Halladay's widow Brandy Halladay accepted her late husband's plaque at the induction ceremony.  In an emotional speech she thanked the Hall for voting her husband into baseball immortality.  I had the good fortune to see Halladay pitch in person at Busch Stadium III when he was a Phillie. He gave my beloved Cardinals fits.  But, there were a number of pitching gems when he battled against his former buddy Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals.  The Cardinals managed to win afew times including a classic in the 2011 NLDS.  Halladay posted 203 wins in 16 seasons with the Bluejays and Phils.  He also posted over 21 hundred strikeouts.

From the sounds of the induction ceremony there were a large number of fans from the Pacific Northwest who traveled across the country to Cooperstown to see Edgar Martinez go into the Hall.  I was fortunate to see Martinez play in person for the Mariners in the old King Dome in Seattle when visiting friends who lived there in the early 90's.  Martinez had one of the sweetest swings I ever saw and he drove the ball with authority.  Combined with his speed he led the American League in doubles twice.  Once in 1992 and again in 1995.  But, his best year may have been 2000 when he drove in an amazing 145 runs. I also remember seeing two of the most exciting players in the same lineup when he and Ken Griffey, Jr. played together for over ten years.  Junior is already a member of the Hall having been inducted in 2016.

And last but not least the Hall inducted Mariano Rivera this afternoon.  I got to see Rivera play one time in person against the Cardinals but oh what a performance it was. In June 2005 the Yankees were at Busch Stadium II.  At the time I was not a fan of inter-league play.  To be honest I am still not a fan of it.  But, I was fortunate because I saw two future Hall of Famers pitch for the Yankees that afternoon.  Randy Johnson, who was inducted in 2015, pitched the first 7 innings before giving way to Tom "Flash" Gordon in the eighth.  Gordon allowed two runners and with two out Rivera came in for a four out save opportunity.  He struck out Larry Walker to end the inning.  In the 9th he got future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols to foul out to first and then struck out Reggie Sanders and Mark Grudzielanek to record his 14th save of the season.  In his speech this afternoon Rivera also gave thanks to his former manager Joe Torre.  One final note Rivera is the only player to be elected to the Hall unanimously on the first ballot.

Congratulations to all six 2019 Hall of Famers and their families!

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Happy Birthday U.S.A.!

I am blessed to live in the United States of America. It is still the richest and most powerful nation in the world. But more importantly I am allowed to worship as I please. I am able to express myself and to criticize our leaders as I see fit due to the Bill of Rights of this great nation.

Today marks the 243rd birthday of the United States of America. It is one of the longest running democracies in the world. This has been accomplished through the sacrifice of thousands going back to the Revolution against the British to today with our troops deployed in Afghanistan and other Middle East hot-spots. These brave men and women paid the ultimate price for our enduring freedom. I have no good way of sufficiently expressing my gratitude to them and to those who have served in conflicts such as World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Today I say thank you to all of our armed forces past and present. Because of you I am able to live in what I truly believe is the greatest nation on Earth. Happy Birthday America! Long may you stand!

Epic Fail!

 Copyright United Features Syndicate

Once again Major League Baseball has taken a golden opportunity and turned it into a colossal screw up.

This past Saturday and Sunday MLB managed to get two games scheduled in London between the Red Sox and Yankees.  Baseball says the plan was to expose Europeans to the game played every day in the US during the summer.  Well, they played two games and the result was two of the most boring baseball games you've ever seen.  MLB hyped the game on Saturday as a classic.  It was won by the Yankees 17-13.  The nine inning game lasted 4 hours 42 minutes.  So, yes, in a way it was a classic.  It was a classic snooze-fest!  And the game on Sunday was almost as horrible.  It lasted 18 minutes less checking in at 4:24 with the Yankees winning 12-8.  It sounds exciting but it wasn't.  I found myself flipping channels on Saturday and never bothered to return to the game.  On Sunday I decided I didn't have five hours of my life to waste watching Triple A pitchers strike out hitters slugging for the fences on every pitch and striking out at an alarming rate.

I suppose the Londoners wondered what kind of game this was.  It wasn't cricket but the long boring game on Saturday might have resembled it to the Brits who were brave enough to go to think it was going to be fun.

MLB do us a favor and cancel your plans for another London series next summer between the Cardinals and Cubs.  I am a longtime fan of the Cardinals but I won't watch a rehash of the debacle on Saturday and Sunday that lasted a combined nine hours and six minutes.

Stanley Cup Champions

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia and NHL

It's been 24 hours since the Saint Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup four games to three over the Boston Bruins.  It is the first time in the 52 year history of the Blues franchise they have won ice hockey's "Holy Grail".

I didn't know if the Blues would win one in my lifetime.  But, last night they pulled it off.  And for a long suffering fan I have to say it feels great to be a Blues fan.  In fact I have never been more proud of the team.  I would compare the warm and fuzzy feeling I had last night to that of any of the five World Series championships won by my beloved St. Louis Cardinals.  And the feeling is similar to when the SAINT LOUIS Rams beat the Tennessee Titans in January 2000 to win Super Bowl 34.

To me the Blues won by taking the game directly to the Bruins and outhitting them over the seven games.  The Blues fore-checked, fore-checked and fore-checked some more.  I don't think Boston was intimidated by any means but they knew the Blues meant business.  Once the Blues got up in each of their victories they played defense that robbed the Bruins of numerous opportunities.  When Boston did get good scoring chances Blues Goalie Jordan Binnington was acrobatic in the net and stopped shot after shot in frustrating Boston.

This is the most rewarding season I can remember watching as the Blues came from last place in the first week of January to go on and win ten games in a row and then beat the Jets, Stars, Sharks and Bruins to win the NHL's Holy Grail.

Some of the boorish fans in Boston won't agree but the better team won this series.

#LGB  #PlayGloria

LGB!

The title of this post is not a reference to any social issue.  It is instead the phrase St. Louis Blues fans are saying and writing to express their support of the ice hockey team; "Let's Go Blues!"  The Blues are in a battle with the Boston Bruins for the 2018-2019 Stanley Cup.  At this point the series is tied at two games with game five of seven scheduled for Thursday night in Boston.
I am a casual fan of the Blues and haven't been to a game in person since early January of 2016 at the Enterprise Center, formerly known as the Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis.  But, the playoff games this year have been exciting.  So exciting I get to the point where I have to turn off the TV because they make me too nervous.St. Louis and Boston have a long history of playing championships against each other.  The Cardinals and Red Sox have met four times in the World Series with each team winning twice, the St. Louis Rams and New England Patriots played each other in Super Bowl 36.  During the late 1950's and early 60's the Hawks and Celtics played for the NBA Championship four times with Boston winning three times.The Blues have always had a loyal core following but have never had as many fans as they do now.  Many of the fans cheering for the hockey club have jumped on the bandwagon and that number continues to grow.  And as it grows so do the number of people saying or shouting LGB!

Happy Memorial Day

Today I am grateful for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep the United States of America free. Thank you to all of the brave men and women of our armed forces past and present who each day have stepped into harm's way to keep the rest of us safe. Thank you for serving!  Happy Memorial Day!

This is the Korean War Memorial in Washington D. C.  It honors the 37 thousand men and women who died in the "peace action".

This is the Vietnam War Memorial on the National Mall looking from east to west.  It commemorates the 58 thousand men and women who gave their lives in the Vietnam Conflict"

Flags being displayed in front of headstones at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in South Saint Louis County, Missouri

Where Did April Go?

Here it is the last night of the month and it seems to me as if the month just started.  Lent and Easter have come and gone and another baseball season is a sixth of the way finished.

When I get some time in the coming days I will write about the games I am seeing this year and the continuing trends from previous years that are not for the best of the game.  Just look back to my posts of last October and you will figure out what is on my mind.

I hope it's been a good April for you and you have a great May!

He is Risen!

Happy Easter to you and your family!  Christ is Arisen this day and his resurrection has changed the world forever!  Knowing that Christ has made the ultimate sacrifice means we will live with him forever in Heaven.

Christ is Risen!  He is Risen Indeed!  Alleluia!

Finally...Spring

It's been several weeks since I last wrote but in that time the long cold wet winter has started to give way to warmer temperatures and more sunshine where I live.

All, I can says is thank God!  Now, I can get out in my yard and work in it.  I can also get out and start playing golf.  Well, hacking the ball around our local layouts.

It's supposed to be sunny and in the 50s today and up into the 70s by Thursday which also happens to be the start of the Major League Baseball season this year!  This forecast makes me a happy camper!

"A TV Ratings Dud"

When I wrote two nights ago that I could care less about this year's Super Bowl, I didn't realize how many other people felt the same way.  Based on overnight TV Ratings for this year's version of the NFL championship, it was not well watched.

James Brady and Adam Stites of SB Nation have a well written article pointing out why this year's ratings were so lame.

And the writers at SB Nation were also critical of the hyped up halftime show with Maroon 5.

Finally, to be honest, I watched much of the second half of the game at a party at the home of friends.  The party was great but the game sucked.  The food and drink at the party overcame the boring football game the National Football League inflicted on us.  Hopefully, a couple of different teams will make it to Super Bowl 54.

Another Who Cares Sporting Event

It's less than 24 hours to the Super Bowl and I could care less who wins.  For that matter I could care less about the National Football League and its hype of this year's championship game between the Patriots and Rams.

I was a Rams fan up until three years ago but the team's owner Stan Kroenke decided to move the team back to Los Angeles.  Cheering for the Rams is now like cheering for a girl that dumped me.  And the Patriots, are the biggest of the cheaters in the NFL.  (Well, there are most likely many cheaters in the NFL, but they have been smart enough not to get caught).  I cite Spygate in 2002 and Deflategate in 2015.

So, it comes down to the "Dumpers" or the "Cheaters".  As I said in October when a different Los Angeles team played a different Boston team its another "Who Cares" championship.  The best I can hope for is both teams play badly and beat the crap out of each other.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2019!  Here's hoping that you and your family have a very healthy, happy and prosperous year ahead!