Bernie Miklasz and Randy Karraker are doing a great job talking to the movers and shakers in the Blues organization and asking all the right questions with each guest they get on their 1380 ESPN afternoon radio show, which is easily the best sports talk radio show in town. So I was excited when I heard they were having Blues owner Dave Checketts on Thursday’s show to discuss the Paul Kariya signing among other things. I knew they would ask him the questions fans wanted answered, and they did that literally as Bernie let fans submit questions on his forum at STLToday.com.

Checketts was asked when the Blues’ new jerseys would be released and essentially said he didn’t know, but that they won’t be changing much from what the team has worn for years. He said there would be a slight tweak in the design but that the base of the jersey would remain the same and the Bluenote would not be touched. I’m still baffled as to why the Blues can’t at least release a picture of what this new design looks like to appease the hard-core fans, but they’re doing so much else right these days that it’s easy to let this slide.

Bernie and Randy also asked Checketts how season ticket sales have spiked since news of the Kariya and Keith Tkachuk signings broke, and Checketts said that the upper bowl is nearly sold out and that 350 of the prime, high-priced seats have been sold since those signings took place last weekend. It also seems as if corporate support is on the rise and given the quality of the current roster and the team’s unquestioned ability to compete for a playoff berth in 2007-08, we can safely say that it won’t be long before the Scottrade Center is consistently filled like it was from 1995-2004.

Bernie also praised Checketts for the fan and media-friendly nature of the Blues organization since his group took over last summer, and he couldn’t be more accurate. If a media member calls the Blues PR staff to request an interview with a player or member of the front office, they’ll have their request granted almost immediately. The same cannot be said of the Cardinals’ organization, where you’ll be lucky to get a return call at all if you aren’t affiliated with a major media outlet (I speak from experience here). I realize that these teams are in vastly different positions in terms of recent success and popularity, but my guess is that even if the Blues win back-to-back Stanley Cups, team president John Davidson will still come on any radio show anytime he’s asked. It’s called class.

There have been plenty of bleak moments the past two seasons but everyone agrees that the team is heading in the right direction. Davidson and Larry Pleau have already constructed a playoff-caliber roster just two years after the Blues were the worst team in the league. This franchise easily could have languished for five or more years after Bill Laurie stripped the team bare in the summer of 2005, but Davidson hit the ground running when he took over as team president on July 1, 2006 and has given fans in this proven hockey market a team to be excited about, in additional to being a great ambassador for the team and the sport. Not only is the present exciting, but the future is also very bright since Davidson and Co. are in the process of building a self-renewing talent base with all the top-flight prospects they’re hoarding.

The Kariya signing is huge. As I told somebody today, he’s the most dynamic offensive player the Blues have had since Brett Hull. The guy is an elite playmaker and will help the Blues power play, which was awful last season, exponentially. He’s always been one of my favorite players. Now he’s in St. Louis. I still can’t believe it.

Watching Erik Johnson blossom into a superstar right before our eyes will be a major treat. The Blues are solid in goal, have a terrific, diverse defense that offers a little bit everything, and head coach Andy Murray can role out four effective lines that will be awfully hard to outwork on any given night. The hockey season can’t get here soon enough. I’ll be at the team’s development camp next week and counting down the days to training camp and the start of the regular season. Thanks Dave.