Goodbye #5

This post probably won't be read very much outside of St. Louis and then only by the ice hockey fans in the area.

#5 was worn by longtime St. Louis Blues favorite Bobby Plager.  Plager joined the club in its expansion year in 1967 and played at the old barn on Oakland Avenue for eleven years.  He was a defenseman best known for his hard hitting defense and an occasional  goal or assist.  After retiring from the team Plager worked in the front office in a host of capacities until his retirement in 1992.

Mr. Plager died on Wednesday on an interstate highway in the city of St. Louis.  Initial reports blamed his death on an automobile accident, but medical officials now believe the accident was the result of a coronary event which caused his death.  He was 78 years old.  Plager was preceded in death by his brothers Barclay and Billy, who also played for the Blues.

I was fortunate to see Mr. Plager and his brothers play for the Blues when I was in  high school and college.  He never backed down from a fight and took on some of the toughest enforcers in the National Hockey League.  He wasn't the best player on those teams by any means, but he was always a huge fan favorite because of his hustle and hard hitting style.

Rest in Peace Mr. Plager.

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 New Year...Even If it's a Few Days Late

I am writing this on January 3rd because frankly I was too busy to write it on January first.  I didn't see the New Year in and fell asleep in front of this computer, where I am writing now, about 11 p.m. on New Year's Eve.

I have enjoyed the New Year thus far because I have not yet gone back to work.  That will happen tomorrow and may I say with tongue firmly planted in cheek I can hardly wait to get back to the office and working with a bunch of "unique" individuals.

I guess the most fun I have had in the first three days of 2017 was watching the St. Louis Blues beat up on the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL's "Winter Classic" played yesterday at Busch Stadium. The Hawks scored first, but the Blues came back with four unanswered goals to win the game 4-1.  I didn't score tickets to the game but enjoyed it with family and friends in front of my television.  The Blues were the better team yesterday, but the Blackhawks are still ahead of the Blues in the division standings.

I also took joy in watching my newly adopted Green Bay Packers beat up on the Detroit Lions on New Year's night.  I will write when I get some time about what the Packers front office did for me this past summer so that they are now my favorite NFL team since the Rams bolted St. Louis for Los Angeles.  And let me thank my friends L&J for a great day watching NFL Sunday Ticket while feeding me dinner.  You guys rock!

One thing about being on vacation is the chance to stay up late each night and to sleep in each morning.  I have enjoyed a number of fine craft beers in the past two weeks, some that have made me sleep like a baby.  But, now it is time to return to reality.  So, with reality in mind let me wish you a Happy and Healthy 2017!  May it be your best year yet and may you find it happy, health and prosperous!  Happy New Year and "Go Pack Go"!