Thoughts for Mid November

I hope you are doing well.  I am OK but have been fighting a cold / flu for the past two and a half weeks.  That will teach me to get a Flu shot.  I got the shot over two weeks ago and have been coughing and felt rundown ever since.  But, I am still doing fine.

-Since I last wrote my beloved Missouri Tigers have won three more games and are now 8-2.  One of those wins was a huge victory last Saturday night on the road at College Station, Texas.  The Tigers beat the Aggies 34-27.  As I write this I am looking forward to the Tigers game tonight in Knoxville against the Tennessee Volunteers.  Should the Tigers win tonight and next Friday against Arkansas, Mizzou will be back in the SEC Championship game for the second year in a row.  The Tigers are in first place in the East and control their own fate.

-This could be a long basketball season for Mizzou.  The Tigers lost their first game of the season against UMKC at home in Columbia.  (That's the University of Missouri - Kansas City).  They've won twice since then against Valparaiso and Oral Roberts.  Missouri will get a tough test on Monday when they travel to Maui to play second ranked Arizona.

-The St. Louis Rams are showing signs of life but it is probably too late.  Since I wrote last the Rams have beaten two of the league's premier teams.  The Rams knocked off San Francisco on the road three weeks ago and then beat Denver and Peyton Manning last week 22-7.  But, they remain an enigma.  The Rams have also been beaten badly in two of the last three weeks by Kansas City and Arizona.  I can't figure out the Rams.

-The new TV season is a disappointment.  But, one program I have been watching is now on my "Record All Episodes" on my DVR.  What show is it you ask?  It's called "Madam Secretary".  The show airs at 7 pm on Sunday evenings.  I have always been a fan of Tia Leoni and she is believable as the US Secretary of State.  My only criticism of the show is the producers and writers tend to dumb things down.  I think the viewers are smarter than CBS thinks they are.   If you haven't yet watched add it to your DVR list.

-That's all I have for now.  I doubt I will have the time to write again before next Thursday.  Let me take this chance to wish you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving!  I know I have a tremendous amount to be thankful for this year.

Take good care of yourself and check back for updates.

I Have a Lot to Write About but No Time to Write

I would start this post with;  So...  but I have come to hate that word.  Instead I will start this post this way:

Hello there reader. There have been a lot of things that have transpired since I posted three weeks ago.

-The Cardinals are home for the holidays after being whipped by the Giants.

-My beloved Tigers are 5-2 having lost to Indiana and Georgia but winning on the road at Florida.  Florida is terrible.  The offense and special teams could work for months but they're not going to get any better.  If I were Will Muschamp I would have someone update my resume.

-Seriously, did any of you pick Kansas City as the American League representative in the World Series?  And does the fact they are playing the Giants mean they are playing to be the 9th best team in baseball?

-This new TV season is kind of a bust.  There are few new shows I think will make it but the rest are pure crap.  "Jane the Virgin" is funny and well written.  I also like(d) "Manhattan Love Story".  But, apparently no one else was watching it.  It was cancelled earlier today by ABC.

-The Saint Louis Rams are an enigma.  They have the talent but they haven't grown yet to the point they believe in themselves.  They got off to big leads against the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers and then choked.  This past week though they grew.  They jumped on the defending world champion Seattle Seahawks and held on to win 28-26.

That's it in a nutshell.  I will try to write soon but don't hold your breath. Adios.

How 'Bout Them Birds

One game does not make a series in post season baseball.  But, my beloved Cardinals just pulled off one of the most unlikely comebacks imaginable this evening as they came from five runs down to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-9.  Matt Carpenter drove in three runs with a double and Matt Holiday drove in three more with a homer to left in an eight run 7th inning.  And to make it even more unlikely, the Birds beat Dodger ace and probable Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw.

As great a win as it was for Cardinal nation it took way too long for the game to play out.  The official time of the game was 3:57.  I hate to say it but MLB that is way too long.  Make the hitters stay in the box and the pitchers stay on the mound.  Then cut back on the commercials on the TV Networks.

Still, I am excited about this series. How 'bout them Birds!

Just Do It

Its been a busy busy month to say the least.  But, this weekend Major League Baseball will wrap up its 2014 campaign.

My beloved Cardinals lead the National League Central by a game over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The Pirates have won like every game in the month of September (OK I exaggerate), while the Cardinals are playing a little better than .500 during the same time frame.  Bottom line is the Birds need to win or the Pirates need to lose a combination of three games this weekend if the Cards are to win the division and avoid that nasty playoff play-in game next week.  The Birds are playing at Arizona (with the worst record in the National League) while the Pirates are in Cincinnati to play a Reds team that seems to have packed in about a month ago.

The Cardinals have gotten it done all year when they needed to.  So this weekend Redbirds "Just  Do It."

Ferguson, Missouri

I could write a book on the media coverage of Ferguson this past week. But, suffice it to say I have never seen so much misinformation and fact errors in reporting by out of town and national news media.  And there are some St. Louis media outlets who don't do news who've used the situation to send amateurs into a crisis.   Hopefully, this story has just about run its course and the reporters who report on it every day will be allowed to present a clear picture of what has and is actually transpiring.