The Online Source for St. Louis Sports
ISSUE #61
March 13, 1996
Copyright © 1996 St. Louis Sports Online
Reproduction Prohibited Without Permission of Publisher [StLSports@aol.com]
St. Louis Sports Online is an online sports weekly that aims to provide
St. Louisans (and transplanted St. Louisans) with an additional source of
news, information, and humor about St. Louis-area sports events and St.
Louis-area sports teams.
Highlights of this issue include more than a couple articles about the Great
One, as well as a nice tribute to the late Neal Russo.
StLSO #62 will be chock-full of spring training news from the Cardinals
St. Petersburg headquarters.
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St. Louis
Sports Online MARCH.96.2 CONTENTS
1.0 StLSO News and Notes by RANDY KARRAKER
2.0 StLSO Sport Shorts
2.1 Cardinals News by JIM HUNSTEIN
2.2 Blues Banter by BRIAN STULL and JIM HUNSTEIN
2.3 Rams News: Defensive Driving Around the Horns by JIM HUNSTEIN
2.4 StLSO Quote of the Week
2.5 StLSO Headline of the Week
3.0 StLSO Features
3.1 The Return of Shanny by JIM HUNSTEIN
3.2 The Keenan Cover-Up by RANDY HU
3.3 Blues and Shanny Thrill Fans; Keenan Creates a Team by NANCY BUCHANAN
4.0 StLSO Game Recaps
4.1 Blues Summaries by BRIAN STULL and JIM HUNSTEIN
4.2 College Basketball Round-Up by DOUG BRAY
5.0 StLSO Numbers
5.1 Blues Statistics (through GAME #66)
6.0 StLSO Media Watch
6.1 Neal Russo Dies by SCOTT SIMON
6.2 More St. Louis Radio News by SCOTT SIMON
6.3 Media Notes by SCOTT SIMON and JIM HUNSTEIN
7.0 StLSO Interactivity
8.0 StLSO Editorial: La Russa Tid-Bits
St. Louis Sports Online MARCH.96.2
1.0 StLSO News and Notes by RANDY KARRAKER
Lots of people are complaining about the "shelf life" of this
current Blues team...but it appears there are only four or five players
(Glenn Anderson, Craig McTavish, Jay Wells, Basil McRae, Mike Hudson) that
won't be able to play next year that the same level they're playing at this
season. Wayne Gretzky is 35...but his skills are still such that he is one
of the top performers in the game and could be expected to be a top performer
for two or three more years. Brett Hull and Shayne Corson are still in their
athletic prime, as are defensemen Murray Baron and Igor Kravchuk. All four
of those players can be expected to play well for three more seasons. Although
Al MacInnis is 32...he does have a ton of miles and may be near the end.
The same applies to Grant Fuhr. The rest of the mid- to lower-level talent
on the Blues...except for Chris Pronger....is in the 27-31 year old range.
Overall, the Blues would seem to have three years to win the cup...rather
than one. And three years down the road, Mike Keenan will have only one
year left on his contract. It was said by one Blues staffer upon Iron Mike's
arrival that "he would trade away all the team's youth for age, then
leave an old team with nothing to look forward to behind." That's not
this season...but it could be 1999.
The Rams will start their quarterback parade this week, upon the "retirement"
of Chris Miller. Randall Cunningham will visit, with Steve Walsh and Steve
Beuerlein perhaps following. Because of his athletic ability and the fact
that he at least has playoff experience, it would seem that Cunningham is
the guy the Rams want. This is certainly his best chance to be a starter
in the NFL. It would not be surprising if he becomes a Ram before the other
guys even get a chance to visit. The club still would like to add a blocking
tight end and a fullback, but those additions may now come in the draft
rather than through free agency.
Luis Alicea is back in the Cardinal fold, after having his best season last
year in Boston. Walt Jocketty admitted he made a mistake in trading Alicea...presumably
because he shouldn't have trusted Geronimo Pena. With Pena and Mike Gallego
nursing leg injuries, Alicea and David Bell will now battle for the second
base job. Some of the ups and downs of the spring...Gary Gaetti has been
a big up, displaying great defense and power. Royce Clayton...perhaps feeling
the heat from Ozzie Smith, is hitting .135 and can't field a lick. Ozzie
may yet win his battle to play one more season.
Oh by the way...in a strange twist I am back at NewsTalk 1120, KMOX Radio.
I was flattered by an offer from KSD after being laid off during KMOX cutbacks.
However, when Jim Holder accepted an offer from WIBV in Belleville on Thursday,
my old station called me back and we were able to hammer things out over
the weekend. I'll be doing lots of reporting, continue with the Sunday night
open line and perhaps some other open lines, and generally trying to move
things forward in my second career at KMOX.
See you next week!
2.0 StLSO Sport Shorts
2.1 Cardinals News by JIM HUNSTEIN
Baseball America magazine recently published its annual power brokers rankings
among baseball's movers and shakers. Two members of the Cardinals organization
were included, although not in the main list of 25. (Don Fehr was ranked
number one and our own Bob Costas was number 25.)
Fred Hanser, the new president of the Cards and managing partner of the
ownership group, was number six among the top ten power broker prospects.
Among the comments: "[The Cards] made a splash by signing free agents
Andy Benes and Ron Gant. Busch Stadium is getting grass. Tony LaRussa has
come to town and the team has new, energized owners. Things are suddenly
looking up for the Cardinals after one of their worst seasons ever."
Dan Ulmer, chairman of the Louisville Redbirds, was ranked number three
among the top 10 minor league power brokers. "Ulmer was a crucial player
in getting the 1990 PBA deal together and his faith in the agreement has
been justified. It's no accident that he was elected as president of the
National Association's board of trustees. He'll be important in negotiations
with MLB.
2.2 Blues Banter by BRIAN STULL and JIM HUNSTEIN
*Just how many records does Wayne Gretzky hold? 61, among them are most
goals, most assists, most points
*Family Feud: Tough guys Tony Twist and Kelly Chase faced off the other
night. Said Twister, "I felt bad, it was like fighting a family member."
Said Chase," the rent just went up $1,000 per month"; Twist rents
Chase's home here
*More From The Great One: "I still feel all tingly."-Wayne speaking
on the standing ovation from the record crowd at the Kiel Center
*GQ: The Blues and their wives took time off to help raise funds for the
Kilo Diabetes & Vascular Research Foundation by modeling in a fashion
show at the St.Louis Galleria on Sunday....The Blues begin a five game roadtrip
in Calgary on 3/12.
*Ozzie's Restaurant and Bar, one of the most popular sports bars in St.
Louis, has among its myriad of memorabilia an autographed Wayne Gretzky
jersey. (It's on the wall with Blues jerseys of Brett Hull and former Bluenotes
Jeff Brown and Brendan Shanahan.) But it's a Kings uniform. The general
manager of Ozzie's said she's working on getting the updated Wayner sweater.
(By the way, she also said they don't plan to add a Royce Clayton Burger
to the menu anytime soon.)
*The last time the Blues played the Whalers? Blues triumphed then, too,
and again doubled the score at 4-2. Take a wild guess who scored the winning
goal. Yep. Chris Pronger.
*The Blues pulled of another trade, this one of much lower magnitude than
the Gretzky deal. They acquired right winger Steve Leach from the Boston
Bruins for forward Kevin Sawyer and defenseman Steve Staios. The 30-year
old Leach played in 59 games for the Bruins this season, scoring nine goals
and adding 13 assists. This is his 11th year in the league, one in which
he has racked up 86 penalty minutes. He played against the Whalers and had
three shots on goal in the second period. Sawyer and Staios are both 22
and both playing with Worcester, the Blues American Hockey League affiliate.
In 41 games, Sawyer has three goals, four assists, and 268 penalty minutes.
Staios has one goal, 11 assists, and 114 penalty minutes in 57 games.
*That giant shoehorn outside Kiel Center Saturday night was to squeeze 78
more fans into the joint than came to Gretzky's home opener against Florida.
*This was a remarkably penalty-free game, fighting majors notwithstanding.
The only other penalties called, both in the first period, were a two-minute
holding on Chase at 10:23 and a two-minute hooking on Christer Olsson at
15:14. No penalties were called in the second and third periods.
*Speaking from whence players hail, anyone notice that Hartford's right
winger Paul Ranheim, who got an assist on Nikolishin's goal in the second
period, was born in St. Louis?
*Note to St. Louis sports fans and those who run the house organs (the musical
instruments, not PR fluffs): The Budweiser "Here Comes The King"
ditty is an advertising theme, not a fight song. (Wonder if that will play
at Busch this summer?)
*During the player introductions after the pre-game skate-around, most players
whack the goalie on the pads. Tony Twist gives him a jab in the ribs.
*Lots of signs around Kiel honoring the return of Shanahan. But most were
to honor Gretzky.
*The Towel Boy had a special treat for the fans. No, he didn't stay home.
But when Gretzky scored in the second, TB waved a towel with number 99 on
it. But the weasel didn't throw it to the crowd.
*Blues March 1996 Schedule and Results
# DATE HOME AWAY result comment
63 Sun Mar 3 EDMONTON W 4-3 #99: KO'd
64 Tue 5 FLORIDA W 2-0 Fuhr shutout
65 Thu 7 CALGARY
66 Sat 9 HARTFORD
67 Tue 12 CALGARY
68 Fri 15 SAN JOSE
69 Sun 17 ANAHEIM
70 Mon 18 LOS ANGELES
71 Wed 20 DALLAS
72 Fri 22 ANAHEIM
73 Sun 24 DETROIT
74 Tue 26 PITTSBURGH
75 Thu 28 NEW JERSEY
76 Sun 31 DETROIT
2.3 Rams News: Defensive Driving Around the Horns by JIM HUNSTEIN
*They say championship football games are won by the defense and championship
teams are strong when the other team has the ball. In that case, the Rams
are doing their best to build a winning team as they continue to shore up
their defensive unit.
Strong safety Toby Wright would have been a restricted free agent at the
end of next season but the Rams decided he was too valuable to let get away.
They signed him to seven-year, $12.8 million deal (including a $2.7 million
signing bonus) to lock him up well into the next century.
Wright has only two years of NFL experience under his pads and started just
two games as a Bighorn rookie in 1994. He was a second-round pick out of
Nebraska. But he started every game last year and lead the team with six
interceptions. He finished second to LB Roman Phifer in tackles with 126.
And along the way, he developed a reputation as one of the hardest-hitting
safeties in the NFL. He and fellow safety Keith Lyle are considered one
of the best pairs of defensive backs in the league, especially considering
they are both entering only their third year.
This contract is relatively long for a non-quarterback. But this reflects
the philosophy of general manager Steve Ortmeyer. "We're going to identify
the young players who we feel can push this team over the top and make us
winners," he said. "And we're going to treat them with the dollars
the way we would treat free agents."
*Earlier in the week, the Rams finally signed the linebacker they've been
coveting. Former Cowboy middle LB Robert Jones inked a five-year, $10 million
deal (with $2.8 million as a signing bonus) to take over the middle of the
defense. He spent four seasons with Dallas and came away with three Super
Bowl rings, so he knows how to win.
But he also came away with a reputation that he was not a very instinctive
player and that his pass coverage was not what it should have been. But
he was very strong against the run, which is where the Rams need more help
anyway. Jones has recorded more than 100 tackles in each of his past three
seasons. And in Dallas, he took on more blockers than he will here.
Jones should fit in well with the Rams' "Jet" defense and he should
be able to play against the run and the pass. This, and the fact that he's
only 26 and 6-2, 237 pounds, he's younger, bigger, faster, and more versatile
than Shane Conlan, the Rams' starting middle linebacker for the past three
years. Conlan is a free agent and it now appears unlikely he will be returning
to the flock. Conlan just finished his ninth year and seldom played on passing
downs due to his limited mobility. But Conlan was a fan favorite because
of his gritty style of play. Also, his was the only Rams jersey available
for a while after the team announced the move besides Jerome Bettis's. And
at the time Bettis was still a hold-out, so Conlan's number 56 was the choice
by default.
*The Rams are still trying to re-sign CB Todd Lyght, a free agent whom they
have designated a transition player. That means they have the right to match
any other team's offers for the services of the five-year defensive back
from Notre Dame. They feel he would team well with newly signed free agent
CB Maurice Hurst. The Bighorns are also working on new contracts for a few
other young talents; DT D'Marco Farr (who is quickly becoming as much a
fan favorite as a defensive lineman can be), and WR Isaac Bruce. Both are
two-year veterans who will be restricted free agents after the 1996 campaign.
*All these signings are great news, but a rather obvious pattern has developed.
All are on the defensive side of the line. Nothing has been done about the
offense, specifically at the quarterback position. Are the Rams satisfied
with Mark Rypien running the herd next year? Is it assumed that Chris Miller
will be back? Are the trade rumors of Sean Gilbert or Jimmie Jones for Redskin
QB Gus Frerotte just rumors?
Perhaps the best way to go is tell Rypien that he is the man for the next
year or two and try to draft a promising player from the college ranks.
(Granted, every team wants to draft a promising player, but remember that
St. Louis was subjected to the George Boone-directed drafting of the football
Cardinals for so many years that it's reasonable to feel the need to specify.)
Then let the newcomer learn from the former Super Bowl MVP and grow up in
the Rams' system. Rypien may not be among the upper echelon of NFL passers,
but he's better than a lot of the names being thrown around as possible
replacements.
The other glaring needs for the Rams are a speedy running back to complement
should-be FB Jerome Bettis. That role could easily be filled in the draft.
As could a deep threat receiver to take some pressure off WR Isaac Bruce.
After his phenomenal season, you can bet he will be getting lots of added
attention from defensive secondaries around the league. Having another pair
of horns running down the other sideline would help keep those pesky defensive
backs honest.
But all these moves would be for naught if the Rams don't shore up the offensive
line. Bettis's problem wasn't so much getting to/through the hole as watching
it close before he got there. Or realizing that it never opened in the first
place. Coach Rich Brooks has said that he feels the offensive line is one
the toughest positions to learn to play due to all the blocking schemes
for the myriad of plays. This might be a position to fill wil experienced
talent with whatever free agent money is left. After singing CB Maurice
Hurst, DE Leslie O'Neal, and LB Robert Jones, the Bighorns have invested
$33.7 million (of which $7.75 million represents signing bonuses) in the
free agent pool.
*In case you're wondering why the signing bonuses are always mentioned,
it's a salary cap thing. That figure is prorated evenly over the length
of the contract for the purposes of fitting under the cap.
*The Rams are probably not going to return to Maryville University for training
camp due to a few conflicts. The main one being that the campus is one grass
field short of being ideal for the team's workouts. There was also a conflict
with the Pat McBride soccer camp, which could be overcome. However, there
were also some personality conflicts between Maryville officials and Rams
officials, which would likely be more difficult to resolve.
Rams' VP Bob Wallace and Director of Operations John Oswald toured the leading
candidates for training camp, all university campuses: Wisconsin-Eau Claire,
Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Western Illinois (in Macomb), and Eastern Illinois
(Charleston). Those fans who were able to watch the practices last summer,
and would like to do so this summer, will want to lobby for one of the latter
two sites: both are about 2 1/2 hours from St. Louis.
*The Rams new practice facility on Earth City should be completed this spring
or early summer, but it will bit be mature enough for team practices. The
team doesn't want to wear down the new grass at the northwest county location
with two-a-days all summer since they will have to practice there all season.
(On the other hand, they don't mind wearing down the players with two-a-days.)
Because they might use the Earth City facility for training camp, the Rams
are only going to make a one-year commitment to whichever campus they choose.
Then they will re-evaluate if training out of town was good. As VP Bob Wallace
put it, "More than anything, I think everybody would like us to be
good. The fans and the media would prefer us to train in Timbuktu and be
11-5 than train in St. Louis and be 5-11."
2.4 StLSO Quote of the Week
"This will be my last spring training," said Ozzie Smith after
a recent Cards-Pirates exhibition game at St. Petersburg's Al Lang Stadium.
2.5 StLSO Headline of the Week
From the 2.12.96 Post-Dispatch: "NIT Building Block: Billikens Needed
Arena On Campus"
3.0 StLSO Features
3.1 The Return of Shanny by JIM HUNSTEIN
Blues fans had a special visitor Saturday night. Perhaps the most popular
player in Blues history. Brendan Shanahan was back in the house as a Hartford
Whaler, after being traded last year for Chris Pronger.
He said he had been looking forward to returning but tried to focus on the
real reason for the trip. "I tried to concentrate on the game,"
he said. "It was nice to be back. I played here a short but nice time."
Shanahan spent four years here, actually, and became a fan favorite with
his on-ice play that combined toughness and true talent. In 278 games as
a Bluenote, he scored 156 goals and 306 points. He twice scored more than
50 goals.
But he really endeared himself to the city with his civic activities. The
fact that he was a handsome (and eligible) athlete didn't hurt anything.
His old jerseys featuring his then-number 19 (he now sports a 94) are still
among the more popular Blues merchandise, although for some reason #99 is
going over well. But his Hartford duds sold well, too.
He spoke in glowing terms of the Blues' recent headline-grabbing deal. "I
know the city is thrilled that Gretzky's there, and that's the way it should
be," he said. "There's a lot of excitement and electricity. I
know the players feel it as well. The acquisition of Gretzky makes them
an instant favorite to win the Stanley Cup. I really believe that."
But Shanahan was the consummate team player and that was his main concern
in returning to his old stomping grounds. "I'm trying my best to not
let it affect me either way, to keep the focus on the team where it should
be," he said. "It's an important time of the season for our team.
I want them thinking about winning the game. I kind of want to play the
game with no predictions or questions about how I feel. I guess everyone
can guess how I feel."
Sure but can his own teammates? After a rousing ovation during the introductions
(his was third only to Hull and Gretzky) and numerous shouts from the fans
during the skate around, even grizzled old veterans can be taken aback.
"The players were surprised," he said. "They were teasing
me on the bench. I appreciated the reception during warm-up. We wanted to
win and it did become a distraction at the end."
And as he often did while playing for the Blues, Shanny gave the fans what
they wanted. He scored a goal in the first period and received another ovation,
this one being second only to Gretzky's in the second. But again, Shanahan
downplayed his accomplishment in light of the team's. "[The goal] was
satisfying, he explained. "But I'm proud of the way the team fought.
The guys did have some jitters. We're a young team. We want to build with
depth and build with a farm system. But tonight we played a more mature
team."
Shanahan said he still has a number of fond memories of playing here. Particularly
the 1993-94 season. He had his career best year then, scoring 52 goals,
102 points and accumulating 211 penalty minutes. On the last game of that
season, Shanahan had his lip sliced open by Winnipeg's Keith Tkachuk. Shannie
had the lip stitched up, came back to score two goals, and punched out Tkachuk.
That's tough.
His personal philosophy comes through in how he reacts to negatives, such
as a sliced open lip or a trade from a favorite team. "When things
like that happen," he said, "you can either treat them as bad
luck, like 'I took a stick to the face' or treat it as a challenge."
Words to live by from a gone but not forgotten hero.
3.2 The Keenan Cover-Up by RANDY HU
The Blues-Hartford game last Saturday night was a special tribute to how
loyal Blues fans are to their favorite players, both past and present. Spotted
in the record-breaking crowd of 20,803 were countless jerseys of arguably
the most popular hometown hockey hero in the pre-Gretzky era, Brendan Shanahan.
As Brett Hull has said on more than one occasion, "Brendan is more
popular than I am."
When coach/GM Mike Keenan announced on July 27, 1995, that Shanahan was
traded to the Whale for defenseman Chris Pronger, local diehards were shocked
out of their Bluenote underwear. Shanahan, 27, was more than just a power
forward, 50-goal scoring machine on blades. He was accessible and involved
in the community, from his numerous hospital appearances to his annual charity
softball game for the Alzheimer's Association. "I'm just an overgrown
kid growing up in St. Louis," Shanahan once said.
Looking back at the tumultuous summer of 1995, Keenan started out by lavishing
multi-million dollar contracts to free agents Dale Hawerchuk, Geoff Courtnall,
Grant Fuhr, Brian Noonan, and Adam Creighton. Lost amidst all of the hoopla
surrounding these acquisitions was a sudden salary cap "mandate"
by the Kiel Partners. Trying to avoid a PR disaster and to pacify season
ticket holders, this was the excuse that Keenan needed to explain the reason
why he sent Shanahan packing. "It was strictly a budgetary decision,"
said Keenan. "Since Brendan couldn't play on the top line with (Brett)
Hull, we can't justify paying him $3 million to play on the second line."
Again, contradicting himself, Keenan paid Hartford $800,000 to cover part
of Shanahan's $3.4 million annual salary and extended Pronger's contract
by $14 million over five years. Privately, Anheuser-Busch's Jerry Ritter
fumed that Keenan indirectly tried to blame the Kiel Partners for the trade
and was conducting business through the media. The facts are that Keenan
has never come close to reaching this alleged payroll limit and with the
addition of Wayne Gretzky's contract, he never will.
Truth is that Keenan and Shanahan never saw eye-to-eye from the start. It
was a matter of two strong-willed individuals who were stubborn and not
afraid to voice an opinion. Keenan questioned his work ethic in practice
and games, trying to remind him who was in charge. As a current Blues player
once said, "Keenan would rather play mind games, than win games."
Same story in New York, when Ranger captain Mark Messier argued with Keenan
and ordered him out of the locker room on the eve of their Stanley Cup championship.
Except after their first Cup in 54 years, Messier stayed and Keenan fled.
While still battling mononucleosis at the start of last season, Shanahan
played in the Blues home opener at the new Kiel Center to a thunderous ovation.
But, just a month into the lockout-shortened year, Keenan benched and ultimately
traded his longtime linemate, Craig Janney. This infuriated Shanahan and
marked the beginning of the end, as the series of verbal jousting between
Keenan and him continued throughout the season.
Fed up with Shanahan and upset with the Blues being ousted in the first
round of the playoffs, Keenan secretly shopped him around the league. Though
they had their differences, Keenan assured him that he was a big part of
the future of the team and they were counting on him to contribute if they
were to win the Stanley Cup. Two days later, he traded him. (Note: The trade
had nothing to do with the false rumors that Shanahan was sleeping with
Janney's wife.)
In the weeks following the trade, Keenan and Shanahan feuded publicly at
a Clayton restaurant in front of startled onlookers. Keenan tried to smooth
things over by saying that maybe one day, he would play for him again. In
the heat of the moment, Shanahan told him to get screwed and that when Keenan
is run out of town, only then would he be back.
In Hartford, Shanahan immediately was named captain of the team and despite
being hampered by a broken wrist at the start of this season, he made the
all-star team and leads the Whale in scoring. Though his team lost on Saturday,
his 34th goal of the season in front of the Kiel crowd elicited a tremendous
response from the bittersweet crowd, as if he were still a member of the
homeboys.
For now, Shanahan has plans to make St. Louis his homebase. Though he has
passed the baton to Noonan for the charity softball game, chances are he'll
be there to oversee the event and rub shoulders with the fans.
The addition of Gretzky improves Keenan's public approval rating, but trading
Shanahan will be a mistake he'll never live down.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Randy Hu is the hockey columnist for The Riverfront Times
and the St. Louis correspondent for columnist Stan Fischler of The Hockey
News. You can also hear him Wednesday mornings on all-sports KFNS (590 AM)
3.3 Blues and Shanny Thrill Fans; Keenan Creates a Team by NANCY BUCHANAN
The Blues' three game home stand with their new captain Wayne Gretzky culminated
Saturday night at Kiel Center as the Blues took on the Hartford Whalers.
The fans were the big winners as Gretzky fans witnessed his first two goals
as a Blue on home ice; Shanny fans saw their favorite player in person and
showered him with thunderous ovations during his pregame skate and after
his goal; Tony Twist fans went berserk as they watched him beat up not one
but two Hartford players; Chris Pronger fans unabashedly displayed a "Chris
Pronger Fan Club" poster in section 312 right under the flag during
the national anthem, then cheered their new found hero when he set up Gretzky's
empty net goal with an amazing pass; Grant Fuhr fans hailed their hockey
god with bows of adulation after every spectacular save; and even Adam Creighton
had fans cheering for him as he tried to score a hat-trick after his two
early goals.
In other words, at Kiel Center on Saturday night, you could feel the love
and devotion fans felt for Brendan Shanahan.....and you could feel the awe
and respect fans felt for Wayne Gretzky.
But in the end, it was truly a team effort that produced the Blues' 6-3
victory over Hartford.....a team which Mike Keenan continues to sculpt with
incremental trades designed to create a living masterpiece that can withstand
the grueling NHL play-offs.
Keenan's star-studded first line of Gretzky/Hull/Corson finally performed
as scripted in an otherwise gloomy loss to Calgary on March 7, when Gretzky
set-up Hull's goal at the start of the second period.
On March 9 against Hartford, Keenan promoted Peter Zezel to the number two
line, centering Mike Hudson and newcomer Steve Leach. Zezel responded by
scoring the first goal of the night thanks to a fine assist by Hudson. Just
1:21 later, Hudson recorded his second assist when he set up Dale Hawerchuk
(Hudson was filling in for Tony Twist on the fourth line while Twist served
time in the penalty box after the first of his two fights).
Keenan gave third string duties in the Hartford game to the line of Creighton/Noonan/Matteau.
Brian Noonan stole the limelight last Tuesday scoring one goal and one assist
in Gretzky's home debut, a 2-0 win over Florida, but Saturday night it was
Adam Creighton's turn to share in the Gretzky glory. Filling in for Shayne
Corson (who was in the penalty box for fighting), Creighton made the most
of his one shift with Gretzky and Hull by scoring a goal in the second period
on a set up by none other than Wayne Gretzky.
On defense, Keenan still covets another defenseman to add to his current
staff of six: Al MacInnis, Murray Baron, Chris Pronger, Igor Kravchuk, Christer
Olsson and Jay Wells. Keenan has kept Kravchuk paired with Pronger for several
games now, and the two work together well. Keenan's top defensive pairing
of MacInnis and Baron continues to hit hard, score goals and stop the opposition.
On the power play, Keenan has matched MacInnis with Olsson,who is an excellent
passer and shooter. Wells has also seen a lot of ice time lately.
While Keenan searches for a new face to make his defense incrementally better,
the current defense has played pretty well in the past few games. Stay tuned
to see if Keenan can pull off another one of his trademark deals before
the midnight March 20 deadline.
4.0 StLSO Game Recaps
4.1 Blues Summaries
4.1.1 Florida (GAME #64; 3.5.96) by BRIAN STULL
The St.Louis Blues faced off against the Florida Panthers on March 5 in
front of the largest home crowd in St.Louis history- 20,725. The cause for
the hoopla, it was the first home appearance for Wayne Gretzky. A standing
ovation of more than one and a half minutes greeted the Great One during
pre-game introductions.
The Blues overcame some poor officiating early in the first period, as referee
Mick McGeough sent Murray Baron to the locker room with a game misconduct
for a collision with one of the Florida wingers. Chris Pronger was then
sent to the box giving Florida a two minute, two man advantage. The Blues
successfully killed off the penalties, much to the delight of the crowd,
which stood and cheered to show their appreciation.
Grant Fuhr was sensational in goal, stopping all of the 25 shots he faced.
Mark Fitzpatrick was equally impressive for the Panthers, but the Blues
struck at 9:17 of the third period as Igor Kravchuk worked in around the
net and launched a backhander and Brian Noonan was there for the rebound
and the goal.
Mike Hudson added another goal later, as Noonan hesitated to freeze Fitzpatrick
and then dumped the pass for Hudson who buried it at 17:18. That was all
the Blues needed as Grant Fuhr held on for his third shutout of the season,
2-0.
4.1.2 Calgary (GAME #65; 3.7.96) by BRIAN STULL
The St.Louis Blues continued their homestand with a game against the Calgary
Flames on Thursday night. Once again, over 20,000 packed into the Kiel Center
to watch Wayne Gretzky and the Blues.
After killing off two penalties, St.Louis was awarded a 5-on-3 advantage
for :58. That was all the time Wayne Gretzky needed to setup Al MacInnis
for a slapper from the point at 9:22 for the power play goal.
Calgary responded at 12:59 with a goal of their own, as Jocelyn Lemieux
streaked in for the rebound and the game was tied 1-1.
The Blues added to their score early in the second period as Murray Baron
pinched in and Gretzky was able to steal a pass and send it in front to
Brett Hull, who spun and buried the puck in the far corner at :26.
Theoren Fleury tied the game at 4:35, slipping the puck between Baron and
Fuhr on a nice set up from Gary Roberts for the power play goal. Fuhr had
faced twenty three shots at that point and Mike Keenan pulled him and sent
in Jon Casey.
Calgary welcomed Casey with a goal at 7:31 when Corey Millen slid a pass
behind Chris Pronger to Mike Sullivan, who knocked it in. The Flames tried
to build upon their lead, but Casey was strong in the nets until late in
the third period, when Steve Chiasson drilled a power play goal from the
top of the right circle that caught Casey out of the net.
The Blues were unable to bounce back after that, and the game ended 4-2.
4.1.3 Hartford Whalers (GAME #66; 3.9.96) by JIM HUNSTEIN
If any Blues fan didn't get what they wanted at Saturday night's victory
over the visiting Hartford Whalers, it's their own fault. The game had just
about everything any true fan could hope for:
*A sound victory (6-3)
*Wayne Gretzky breaking his own personal seal on the Kiel Center
*Six goals for the first time at home (fourth time overall)
*Three goals and three fights in the first period alone
*A goal by former Blue and heart-throb emeritus Brendan Shanahan, plus an
assist
*Three goals in 81 seconds to blow open the first period
*The largest crowd in St. Louis NHL history
*A goal scored for us by the other team
*Even more excellent goaltending by Grant Fuhr
*Wayner beating Shanny for a last second open-net goal
*A Tony Twist vs. Kelly Chase grudge match-between-friends
*And two penalty-free periods.
About the only the only things missing were a goal by Brett Hull and a Shanahan-Chris
Pronger bout on the undercard.
The capacity crowd of 20,803 came to cheer on the Blues and the ex-Blues
who number five on the Whalers' roster. Former Bluenotes other than Shanahan
and Chase are Jeff Brown, Nelson Emerson, and Glen Featherstone.
But the highlight of the night was the moment Blues fans have been waiting
for since we got the Great One last week and the current three-game home
stand began. About three-fourths through the second period, Gretzky took
a pass from Al MacInnis and headed up the ice into Hartford territory as
Whalers closed in on him. From the far side of the left face-off circle
and spinning to skate backwards, Gretzky showed why he's called the Great
One. He let fly a rising slapshot that beat goalie Jason Muzzatti on his
short side. The place went nuts to a full two-minute standing ovation. The
cheering lingered much longer.
The game started off with an all-too familiar picture for Blues fans: premier
player prone on the ice. This time it was Fuhr, who had his bell rung by
a point-blank blast from Andrew Cassels in the mask. But he recovered to
perform his usual over-achievement as the Blues were outshot 34-22, including
15-5 in the third.
From then on the Blues ruled. They opened the scoring with an interception
by Igor Kravchuk. He got the puck to Mike Hudson, who fed Peter Zezel for
the goal. Less than a minute later, the Blues got another goal through no
real fault of their own. Or at least their current own. Hartford's Brown
was trying to clear the puck from the crowd in front of his own crease.
But his sweep went off the post and in. Adam Creighton got credit for the
unassisted goal but he may have been on the bench by then. And to round
out the 81-second power surge, St. Louis again relied on a blown play by
Hartford. This time Muzzatti had the puck behind his own net for one of
his players, but Hudson got there first and centered to Dale Hawerchuk who
scored in the empty net.
Hartford finally retaliated with a goal of their own. Emerson had a one-on-one
breakaway but couldn't score. Sami Kapanen got the puck behind the net and
fed to Shanahan in front and he easily beat Fuhr to bring the score to 3-1
Blues.
From then on, the first period was pretty much turned over to fisticuffs.
The opening bout featured Twist and Mark Janssens early on at 3:10. Twist
got the KO as Janssens went down quickly but got back up. Eventually Twist
landed a right hook then took Janssens down for the count. Twist was up
again at 19:09, this time taking on old pal and landlord (honest!) Kelly
Chase. As they were jockeying for position, Twist seemed to look to the
Blues bench for permission to go. This time, it was Twist who went down
early but got back up and won this by decision. (You have to knock out the
champ to take the title.) It could have been a TKO since Chase was bleeding
from a nose bridge gash caused by his helmet. He also suffered a torn ligament
in his left hand and could require surgery after the season. In any event,
Chase indicated that he'd have the last laugh; he said he'd raise Twist's
rent by $1,000. The final undercard was a nondescript affair featuring Shayne
Corson and Adam Burt. Corson got a clean takedown for the decision. All
the combatants received five-minute fighting majors for their efforts and
the Blues got a 3-1 lead.
The rest of the game was somewhat anti-climactic compared to the first period.
But then, so would an inside the park home run. But the scoring wasn't finished.
Creighton got his second goal of the night (and his first real one,if you
know what I mean) at 4:10 with an assist from Gretzky. At 15:39, the Whalers
scored again on blast from Andrei Nikolishin on assists from Brown and Paul
Ranheim. But 13 seconds later Gretzky brought the house down with his first
goal of the game and first goal of the Kiel. The cheering lasted through
the end of the period and the Blues led 5-2.
Hartford almost made a game of it midway through the third when Shanahan
intercepted a Blues pass about 20 feet in front of the St. Louis net. He
passed to Steve Rice who deflected it past Fuhr to bring the Whalers back
to within a pair at 5-3.
That's how the game would have ended had the fates not stepped in to let
the world and St.Louis know that things have worked out the way they should.
With 23 seconds remaining, Muzzatti had been pulled from goal. After a face-off
in the Blues end, Pronger got control of the puck. Gretzky started a sprint
up ice and Pronger lifted a lob pass over the mob. Two players raced after
the puck, open ice, and empty net: Gretzky and Shanahan. Gretzky won the
race and beat Shanahan to score the goal on the assist from Pronger. Go
figure.
The Blues won 6-3 to raise their Gretzky-era record to 3-1-1.Their overall
record increases to 29-25-12, good for third place in the Central division
of the Western Conference, and 70 points, fourth best in the conference.
Hartford falls to 27-31-7, good for fourth best in the Northeast division
of the Eastern Conference, and 61 points, ninth in their conference.
4.2 College Basketball Round-Up by DOUG BRAY
4.2.1 St. Louis University
The Billikens kept their hopes for an NIT birth alive last Wednesday afternoon
when they beat Southern Mississippi 61-44 in the first round of the Conference-USA
tournament. The Billikens played well in the first half, but found themselves
behind 28-26 at halftime. The Bills went ahead 31-30 early in the second
half when Jeff Harris hit a short jumper, and then went on a 32-10 run to
jump out to a 61-40 lead. SLU shot 48 percent from the floor in the game.
SLU's Jeff Harris was the top scorer for the game with 20 points. Carlos
McCauley added ten points for the Billikens. Kelly McCarty was the leading
scorer for Southern Miss with nine points.
On Thursday, St. Louis University almost pulled off a huge upset over Cincinnati,
but they couldn't hold on in overtime and they lost 62-59 to the Bearcats.
SLU jumped out to an early lead, and led 26-21 at halftime. The Bills played
well in the second half, and with two minutes to go, Jamal Walker hit a
three pointer to make it 49-47 Billikens. The Bearcats tied it up just seconds
later, and the score was tied at 49 at the end of regulation. But, the Bearcats
got back on their feet, and pulled out the three point victory over the
Billikens in the overtime period. Jeff Harris was the leading scorer in
the game with 23 points. Jamal Johnson and Carlos McCauley each scored 8
for the Billikens. Darnell Burton was the leading scorer for Cincinnati
with 17 points.
On Sunday, the Billikens were invited to participate in the National Invitational
Tournament. The Billikens will travel to Minnesota for a first round game
in the NIT on Wednesday. They will play Minnesota in a nationally televised
game on ESPN that starts at 6:30 p.m.
4.2.2 University of Missouri
Missouri opened the first round of the Big Eight Tournament with just one
thing in mind: win and it means an automatic birth into the NCAA Tournament,
lose and it means a trip to the NIT. Missouri was able to survive on Friday,
with a 92-88 win over Oklahoma. The Tigers were able to stay on their feet
with the four point victory over the #3 seed in the tournament. The Tigers
pulled out to a 39-38 halftime lead, largely on the strength of eight three
pointers. Early in the second half Oklahoma came back and opened up a 49-41
lead, but Mizzou's Jason Sutherland hit two free throws to tie it with 11
and a half minutes to go in the game. The Sooners tied it at 77 after Nate
Erdmann hit a three pointer with only 3.2 second to go. Missouri's Julian
Winfield clanked the final shot of regulation off of the back of the rim,
and the game went into overtime. In the OT, Mizzou's Derek Grimm hit a three
pointer from the corner with 10.2 seconds to go, and Sutherland capped it
with two free throws and Missouri kept its NCAA tournament hopes alive.
On Saturday, eventual Big Eight champion Iowa State earned a four point,
57-53 win over the Tigers, ending their hopes for a tournament berth. The
Cyclones pulled out to a 28-22 halftime lead, and were well in control for
most of the low scoring game. Mizzou made a valiant effort to come back
in the second half, Julian Winfield hit two free throws and the Tigers were
within two, 51-48 with just about three minutes to go in the second half.
The Tigers shot well from the floor in the second half, by hitting 15 of
29 from the floor. But, they could not handle a late 7-0 run by Iowa State
in the final two minutes as the eventual Big Eight champion beat Missouri
by four points. Julian Winfield was the top scorer for the Tigers with 14
points. Kelly Thames added 12 for MU. Kedric Willoughby led all scorers
with 25 points.
On Sunday, the Tigers were justifiably overlooked by the NCAA Tournament
Committee and received an invitation to the National Invitational Tournament.
The Tigers have not been in the NIT in 11 years. They will play the first
round at the Hearnes Center on Wednesday against Murray State at 8:30 p.m.
4.2.3 University of Illinois
Illinois' chances of making the NCAA Tournament took a big hit on Wednesday
night, when they suffered a 77-67 loss to Michigan State. The Illini never
led in the game and were down 38-25 at halftime. Illinois could not get
their offense into gear in the second half and struggled through the rest
of the game. Michigan State outrebounded Illinois 37-28, and the Spartans
shot 56 percent from the floor for the game. Illinois shot only 36 percent
for the game, and they hit only nine of 26 three point attempts. Michigan
State's Quinton Brooks was the game's high scorer with 19 points. Illinois
guard Kevin Turner led his team in scoring for with 18 points. Richard Keene
scored 12 points.
Illinois NCAA tournament hopes were severely dashed after a 67-66 loss to
Minnesota on Saturday. 16,863 fans were on hand for Lou Henson Day as Assembly
Hall in Champaign, and the Illini could not provide a victory, and perhaps
another trip to the NCAA tournament for the retiring coach. Illinois jumped
out to a 38-28 halftime lead, and seemed to have the game under control.
But in the second half the Fighting Illini shot only 38 percent from the
field, and Minnesota took advantage of many Illinois mistakes on the way
to the one point win. Bryant Notree was the high scorer for Illinois with
22 points. Kiwane Garris scored 17 for the Illini. Minnesota's Bobby Jackson
was the game's top scorer with 24 points.
Illinois ends the regular season with an overall record of 18-12, and a
7-11 mark in the Big Ten Conference.
On Sunday the University of Illinois was selected to play in the National
Invitational Tournament. The Illini haven't been to the NIT since 1982.
They will play Alabama at Assembly Hall in Champaign on Wednesday at 8:30
p.m.
5.0 StLSO Numbers
5.1 Blues Statistics (through GAME #66)
NO. PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S PCTG
99 Wayne Gretzky 70 19 73 92 5- 34 5 0 3 1 159 11.9
16 Brett Hull 61 39 37 76 6 30 14 5 6 0 293 13.3
2 Al Macinnis 69 16 39 55 7 72 9 1 1 1 260 6.2
9 Shayne Corson 69 17 27 44 7 180 12 0 0 2 128 13.3
14 Geoff Courtnall 58 20 15 35 3- 87 5 1 1 0 191 10.5
28 Brian Noonan 69 12 20 32 4 80 3 1 6 0 115 10.4
27 Stephen Leach 63 9 13 22 5- 92 1 0 2 0 129 7.0
32 Stephane Matteau 65 9 12 21 10- 76 4 0 1 1 89 10.1
5 Igor Kravchuk 56 6 15 21 9- 26 3 0 1 0 142 4.2
44 Chris Pronger 65 6 15 21 1- 100 2 1 1 0 124 4.8
20 Adam Creighton 48 8 9 17 1- 59 2 0 3 0 77 10.4
25 Peter Zezel 48 6 10 16 1 8 0 0 0 0 64 9.4
15 Mike Hudson 53 5 11 16 1 49 0 0 0 0 58 8.6
36 Glenn Anderson 19 4 6 10 1- 27 0 0 1 0 39 10.3
34 Murray Baron 69 2 8 10 3 166 0 0 0 0 68 2.9
12 Rob Pearson 21 5 3 8 5 45 1 0 1 0 41 12.2
35 Christer Olsson 19 2 6 8 5- 10 2 0 0 0 25 8.0
33 Ken Sutton 38 0 8 8 13- 43 0 0 0 0 41 .0
18 Tony Twist 47 3 2 5 0 78 0 0 1 0 12 25.0
36 J.J. Daigneault 44 1 4 5 6- 30 0 0 0 0 48 2.1
7 Greg Gilbert 14 0 1 1 0 8 0 0 0 0 8 .0
4 Dallas Eakins 15 0 1 1 2- 32 0 0 0 0 6 .0
21 Paul Broten 17 0 1 1 1- 4 0 0 0 0 11 .0
26 Jay Wells 66 0 1 1 9- 67 0 0 0 0 21 .0
31 Grant Fuhr 69 0 1 1 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 .0
33 Fred Knipscheer 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 .0
30 Jon Casey 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
17 Basil Mcrae 10 0 0 0 1- 20 0 0 0 0 1 .0
29 Bruce Racine 10 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
Goaltender GPI MINS AVG W L T EN SO GA SA SV % G A PIM
Jon Casey 3 110 2.18 1 0 0 0 0 4 41 .902 0 0 0
Bruce Racine 10 212 2.83 0 3 0 0 0 10 94 .894 0 0 2
Grant Fuhr 69 3870 2.84 29 24 12 1 3 183 1916 .904 0 1 8
Pat Jablonski 1 8 7.50 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 .800 0 0 0
Totals 69 4203 2.84 30 27 12 1 3 199 2057 .903
6.0 StLSO Media Watch
6.1 Neal Russo Dies by SCOTT SIMON
A couple of weeks ago I offered to write a regular "Where Are They
Now" segment about past sports media personnel in St. Louis. Little
did I realize the first one would be an obituary about a good friend of
mine.
Neal Russo, one of the greatest sports writers ever at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
died March 6 of congestive heart failure.
He was 75.
Mr. Russo, a native of Pennsylvania, joined the Post in 1947 and remained
for 43 years, until his retirement in September, 1990.
How many today last 4-point-3 years? And with some, the public can't stand
them even 4-point-3 seconds.
His most notable work was from 1958 to 1977, as the beat writer for the
St. Louis Cardinals. During that time, he covered the team's appearance
in the 1964, 1967 and 1968 World Series, and Stan Musial's final season
in 1963.
By the way, just for those of you keeping score, in the past 50 years, the
Post has had only THREE different reporters on the Cardinals beat -- Bob
Broeg (1946-1958), Neal Russo (1958-1977), and Rick Hummel (1978-present).
Mr. Russo also covered boxing and other sports at the paper, but those close
to him knew he was an analytical genius, who could create a crossword puzzle
in 30 minutes. He used those skills adeptly at the poker table, where yours
truly over the years lost his share of "George Washingtons" to
him. Those dollars helped continue to eternally-fledgling "NR Products",
gadgets and novelties he loved to peddle to friends and colleagues.
In 1978, the first year off the Cardinals' beat, he was the controversial
official scorer for a no-hitter pitched by the Cardinals' Bob Forsch. A
ball hit to usually slick-fielding Ken Reitz at third skipped by him, and
many thought it should have been ruled an hit. But Neal held his ground
and said he had a reasonable chance at the ball, ruling an error on Reitz,
helping set up the first of Forsch's two career no-hitters.
In recent years, he had slowed a bit with circulatory problems which eventually
led to his death. He spent his spare time at home with his long-time friend
Gilda, hosted many poker parties along with Tom Shannon, brother of broadcaster
Mike, at Russo's long time home on "The Hill", and also made
several trips to Las Vegas with his former Post colleagues Dan Caesar and
Don Reed, as well as veteran Suburban Journals photographer Rick Graefe.
If there was one vocation Neal would have like to have fulfilled, it would
have been as a stand-up comedian. He would have been great if he had been
more "politically-correct", but if changed, would he have been
as funny? I doubt it.
He was always telling jokes to anyone who would listen, especially at Busch
Stadium, where he would often hold court after leaving the beat.
His favorite line was if there was a headline about his comedy work, it
would have to read, "Russo To Debut in L.A." When questioned why
he would want to open in Los Angeles, he'd quickly reply, "No! Lower
Arnold, you dummy!"
Usually, I was the dummy, which was usually the case, compared to the "Mad
Genius."
Four children and eight grandchildren survive. The wake was attended by
hundreds on Friday at Math-Herman in North St. Louis County, with many returning
for Saturday's funeral and burial.
Dignitaries attending included former Post sports editor Bob Broeg, former
Post managing editor David Lipman, wrestling promoter Sam Muchnick, ex-Post
and ex-KMOXer Kevin Horrigan, and Chuck Murdoch, former Globe Democrat and
Peoria Journal Star sports writer, came in from central Illinois.
It was a typical Neal Russo-orchestrated affair. Memorabilia numbering in
the hundreds adorned the chapel, pictures of him with sports celebrities,
magazines of years-gone-by (what kid who went to a Catholic grade school
in the 60's could ever forget, "Catholic Boy"?), even to the point
where bottle rockets and sparklers were given to attendees, courtesy of
NR Products endless inventory, which filled his house like Hull filling
up a goal with pucks. Even the music was classic NR. Before the service,
selections included "Take Me Out to the Ballgame", "St. Louis
Blues", and "Here Comes the King (The Budweiser song)".
I enjoyed writing this first "Where Are They At" even when it
came as the result of Neal's death, because he passed on to the great Editor,
Umpire and Comedian in the sky during a time when the St. Louis media, particularly
the radio business and even the Post-Dispatch, has been in such turmoil.
Neal did have a comment a couple of weeks ago for me about today's state
of affairs in the media.
"Scott, it's a Polish circus!" said Russo.
"What the hell is a Polish circus," I asked, having some Polish
heritage to my background.
"Humans performing, not cleaning their crap after their damn show just
like the stupid animals!" he barked.
What a piece of work. He taught me and many of my close associates how to
laugh, be goofy, and not take ourselves too seriously.
He was a good and valued friend, a legend that can't be replaced.
It was appropriate that funny-man Neal Russo be buried on the same day that
icon George Burns died.
I could just imagine this greeting by Neal to Mr. Burns: "What took
you so long? You're late!"
Neal, hit a home run up there for us. We need it.
6.2 More St. Louis Radio News by SCOTT
SIMON
The chess game of big names in St. Louis radio moving to other addresses
in the market has developed a new chapter, as it has been learned by AIRWAVES
RADIO JOURNAL that KSD-AM mid-day host John Carney, son of Jack Carney,
one of the greatest broadcasters in St. Louis history, will leave KSD-AM
for WIBV-AM, when it is finally under the control of new owner Tim Dorsey.
Details haven't been revealed by the management of WIBV or KSD, but in the
last three days, Carney was approached by both Dorsey, a former KMOX executive,
and KMOX itself, after it was learned on March 2 that WIBV was being sold
to Dorsey.
WIBV won out, because it had a place for Carney, whereas KMOX, with a disciplined
and tight format, did not have a place on its weekday schedule.
Although not confirmed by Dorsey, it is believed that Carney will co-host
a show with former KMOX radio personality Kevin Horrigan, with a show similar
in time and content to Horrigan's previous show at KMOX with Charles Brennan,
who yesterday announced he would would not relocate with Horrigan, and stay
at KMOX.
All of this activity in St. Louis among radio personalities was precipitated
last weekend. On the same day it was leaked that WIBV was being sold to
Dorsey, it also was announced that current KMOX staffers Bill Wilkerson
and Wendy Wiese were moving to WIBV. When it was also disclosed that Horrigan
was also moving, he was subsequently dismissed by KMOX management.
Carney has been at KSD for just over a year, first as the 6-11 a.m. host,
then moved to 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. after the station went to an all-talk
format in December of last year.
His father, Jack Carney, was perhaps the greatest broadcaster in KMOX history.
The elder Carney commanded high midday audience ratings and advertising
revenues, and brought national entertainment prestige to the "Voice
of St. Louis."
Jack Carney died unexpectedly of heart failure during an underwater diving
accident in November, 1984, at the age of 52.
John Carney received his first exposure in St. Louis a year later, as the
morning sidekick to the late Mort Crowley on KXOK-AM. It was a short-lived
marriage. After being out of the business for a brief time, Carney later
resurfaced in the late 1980's at album oriented rock WTAO-FM, Murphysboro,
Illinois.
It was there that he established his own identity, talent, and style, separate
from his famous father, and blossomed into a very good broadcaster.
In 1991, he returned to St. Louis to work at nostalgia formatted WEW-AM,
as the morning drive host. Carney refined his skills so much, that many
felt he was quickly becoming an established radio entertainer in St. Louis
for many years to come.
Carney's work was noticed by Karen Carroll, general manager of KSD-AM, and
eventually she lured him to her station in January of 1995 to host a variety
type program.
In December of last year, after KSD-AM has established itself as a personality
station based on its exclusive contract to carry St. Louis Rams football
broadcasts, the station went exclusively all-talk, separating itself from
its nostalgia format, and put Carney in the 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. slot, almost
the same time period his father dominated for years at KMOX, from 9 a.m.
to 1 p.m.
6.3 Media Notes by SCOTT SIMON and JIM HUNSTEIN
*Why hasn't WGNU sportscaster Mike Huss been invited into Channel 5's "The
Pit" on the SportsPlus show hosted by sports anchor Mike Bush? We see
everyone else in town on that segment.
For you history and statistical buffs, Huss currently holds the longest
tenure for a sports talk show host at the same station in St. Louis, now
going on 12 years.
He's a sports trivia genius, and besides, he's seen and covered hundreds
of momentous sports events in St. Louis over the past thirty years, many
of them before today's current crop of media started dating.
Mike Huss can be heard Tuesday and Thursday nights from 8-9 p.m. on WGNU-AM
(920).
*In moves announced last week, WIBV also hired on-air personality Jim Holder
as well as producer John Cooper away from KMOX.
*Conspicuous by their absence: KMOX had no reporters at the Blues-Whalers
game.
*Headline of article NOT published by StLSO: Karraker Moves To KSD-AM As
Sports Director: Ends Ten-Year Relationship At KMOX
7.0 StLSO Interactivity
*TIM SUNDERLAND writes--
Hello,
Where have you been? I received all of your issues from the very first all
the way up thru 1-9-96. I haven't received anything since then. If you're
still out there in cyber space I would like to continue to get your excellent
publication.
Thanks, I hope to read you soon!
EDITOR'S NOTE: #61 is a few days late. Sorry for the delay. Look for a baseball-packed
StLSO #62 later this week.
*Screenname TBell writes--
Thumbs up to the Blues for doing something to bring some excitement back
to the Kiel Center. Gretzky at age 35 is still better than 85 to 90 % of
the players in the league. The Blues were going nowhere before this trade.
Yes...it's easy to criticize Mike Keenan and say he's sacrificing the future,
perhaps it's true to some extent. But if I have a chance to get the greatest
player in the history of the game, even at his age, and all I have to give
up are three unproven players, I do it. I have no guarantee Tardif, Vopat,
and the others will be anything special, and they almost certainly won't
be any Gretzky. The Blues do have an alarming lack of depth, it's true.
But you really have to ask, would the Blues be any better off with that
crew that got swept out of the playoff by Dallas two years ago? I don't
think so. Even last year's squad that coughed up the Vancouver series is
dubious. I'll take my chances with #99 and whomever Iron Mike can come up
with. One thing's for sure...it won't be boring
*DAN MOORE writes--
Great job guys! Mr. Zimmerman (KMOX GM) evidently didn't grow up with KMOX
if he claims we listeners can't tell the difference. Maybe no radio station
could ever be as great as the MOX was under Mr. Hyland in this day and age
but there is more than one way to improve the bottom line.
Have you considered having the "Old Sport" (Kevin Horrigan) do
a column while he's in a holding pattern waiting for the east side job to
start. It's only been a week without him on the radio but I miss him.
I'm still hoping you'll start a "Where are they now" feature regarding
past St. Louis Sports people.
Also have you considered a column about UMSL sports? I know they don't have
a large following and they are Div. II but they are a local university.
Keep up the good work!
*JOSHUA JOHNSON writes from Kirksville, Missouri--
A few weeks ago St. Louis Sports Online made note of a comment by Bryan
Cox, where he claimed that the Rams had a self-imposed salary cap of $2.5
million per player per year. However, Leslie O'Neal is being paid about
$3.3 million per year (if my memory serves me correctly), and the Rams were
prepared to offer Neil O'Donnell $20 million over 5 years, which breaks
down to $4 million per year. Unless I am missing something, I believe Mr.
Cox was in error.
Along the same line, even though the Rams really could have used Bryan Cox,
I don't think he was worth his asking price. I feel that, if anything, free
agency has shown that no single player can make an impact on a team that
would warrant such inflated payroll, with the possible exception of quarterback
- and I don't think O'Donnell qualified as a high impact quarterback. Deion
Sanders cost Dallas a lot of money, but he was at best a non-factor in many
of Dallas's games. Indianapolis demonstrated that the key to winning is
finding a lot of good players who function well as a team. Miami, conversely,
demonstrated what happens when you take a lot of should-be-great players
who function as individuals. In short, I'm not convinced that Bryan Cox
was the remedy for the defensive inconsistency from last year, but perhaps
the trio of O'Neal, Robert Jones, and Maurice Hurst - all good players -
will help stabilize the defensive unit.
But a good quarterback would be nice.
*TOM POLLARD writes about a recent Randy Hu column--
I wanted to take issue with you about a few " facts" regarding
your recent article about the Blues acquisition of Gretzky...
1. You claim he's overpaid, then turn right around and suggest you'd like
to have Messier, Lemieux, etc...all receiving BIG BUCKS for THEIR contribution
to their teams...
2. Gretzky is in the top 10 in scoring, and has done so with REDUCED ice
time. Where would Mario, Messier, Jagr, etc. be on 16-18 minutes per game?!?!
3. It's almost too easy...the Blues needed a playmaking center...and have
needed on since Oates left. So what do they do?!?!
They go out and get the BEST playmaking center AVAILABLE.
That HAPPENED to be GRETZKY....the best player who ever played the GAME.
It seems you are being unfair in your "analysis" of the GRETZKY
deal...and it seems to coincide with Stan Fischler's stance.
DU-UH...that's a no-brainer.
Give the MAN credit:
*top 10 scorer with REDUCED ice time...
*Not much of a difference in ages between he and MESSIER...
*Will be playing for one of the WINNINGEST coaches in the NHL...
*he TEAM had been playing well WITHOUT Gretzky...so they drop a speedy winger,
a 4th line player ( Tardif) and a long-shot-Dave -Mackey clone in Roman
Vopat to acquire the BEST PLAYER TO EVER PLAY THE GAME.
In summary, more credit needs to be given towards the significance of the
acquisition of Wayne Gretzky...
8.0 StLSO Editorial: La Russa Tid-Bits
Here are a few nuggets about new Cards skipper Tony La Russa, gained from
a recent visit to St. Petersburg.
1. The guy eats, sleeps, lives, and breathes baseball...and he wants to
win every game. Even spring training games. Evidence for such a statement?
At 9:30 am, a full three and one-half hours prior to the start of the Cardinals
twelfth game of the spring, La Russa was asked how he was doing. His answer?
"Ask me at about 4 o'clock today." When it was pointed out that
exhibition games don't count in the standings, La Russa was direct in his
response. "That's not what the general manager told me. I want to win
every game."
2. The kind of player that thrives under La Russa appreciates his manager's
attention to detail and points out how nice it is that all he has to do
is play...leaving the rest of the details to the skipper. La Russa's Cardinals
seem a lot like Keenan's Blues in that regard.
3. La Russa knows who to talk to, and when. Long after a game had ended
last week, Ozzie Smith was sitting at his locker talking with a reporter.
La Russa politely asked to speak with Smith in private. It seems reasonable
to assume that La Russa was informing Smith about his plans for the next
spring training game...a courtesy that the veteran shortstop no doubt appreciates
4. La Russa is a manager for the '90s. After spring training games, he holds
media Q and A's on the field near the dugouts and down the baselines...while
he signs autographs for fans
5. While La Russa seems to seldom duck a question, he can be INTENTIONALLY
vague at times in his answers. For example, recent Cardinals acquisition
Chris Wimmer (a second baseman) went 4 for 4 in his first spring training
game with the big club. When asked if Wimmer had any chance to make the
club (in light of the injury jinx that still appears to haunt the Redbirds
at second base), La Russa nodded his head (while grinning) as if to say
yes, all-the-while uttering the word "No". He repeated the process
a couple or three times...leaving reporters literally scratching their heads.
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