The Online Source for St. Louis Sports
ISSUE #67
April 16, 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.
ISSUE #67 contains features and updates about the Cardinals, Blues, and
Rams, as well as short updates on the Stampeded and Ambush. The usual assortment
of quotes, headlines, media news, interactivity, and statistics are also
found within StLSO #67.
Contributors to #67 include KMOX radio's Randy Karraker, StLSO senior writer
Jim Hunstein, Riverfront Times hockey columnist Randy Hu, and Nancy Buchanan.
St. Louis Sports Online can be reached at StLSports@aol.com and via FAX
(618-457-5691). Subscriptions to StLSO are free, and can be obtained by
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St. Louis Sports Online APRIL.96.4 CONTENTS
1.0 StLSO News and Notes by RANDY KARRAKER
2.0 StLSO Sports Shorts
2.1 Cardinals News
2.2 Blues Banter
2.3 Rams Report by JIM HUNSTEIN
2.4 Ambush Update
2.5 Stampede Update
2.6 StLSO Quote of the Week
2.7 StLSO Headline of the Week
3.0 StLSO Features
3.1 Blues Playoff Preview
3.1.1 Burning Leafs by RANDY HU
3.1.2 Blues....Any Reason for Optimism? by NANCY BUCHANAN
3.2 Rams Decide on Walsh by JIM HUNSTEIN
3.3 Top 12 Reasons the Blues Want Pay-Per-View For Playoffs by JIM HUNSTEIN
3.4 Top 12 Comments Overheard On Opening Day by JIM HUNSTEIN
4.0 StLSO Recaps
4.1 Blues Summaries by BRIAN STULL
4.2 Cardinals Series-by-Series Recaps
4.2.1 Cards Split With Expos On Busch Grass
4.2.2 Cards Take Three of Four From Phillies by JIM HUNSTEIN
5.0 StLSO Numbers
5.1 Blues Final Regular Season Statistics (through GAME #82)
5.2 Cardinals Statistics (through GAME #12)
6.0 StLSO Media Views
6.1 Fifteen Minutes of Fame by JIM HUNSTEIN
6.2 Simon Says by SCOTT SIMON
7.0 StLSO Interactivity
8.0 StLSO Editorials
8.1 What Are Gretzky, Hull, and Corson Worth, Anyway?
8.2 The Blues Month-by-Month
St. Louis Sports Online APRIL.96.4
1.0 StLSO News and Notes by RANDY
KARRAKER
For a bullpen that was derided during the first week of the season, the
Cardinal relievers have an earned run average hovering near 2.00 and consistently
put in long, productive stints. This past weekend, they had to bail out
an injured Todd Stottlemyre with four innings of work. Jeff Parrett, Tony
Fossas and Cory Bailey each allowed a run in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the
Phillies, with Fossas giving up a two out hit that scored two, and Bailey's
own fielding misfortune costing another. Then Sunday, after Brian Barber
struggled through three innings, the 'pen turned in a terrific, scoreless
performance in a 6-5 win over the Phils, including three stellar frames
from T.J. Mathews. One thing it didn't take long to see is that Tony LaRussa
knows how to utilize his bullpen and his bench, and the players know their
roles. With the imminent return of Mark Petkovsek...and down the road Mike
Morgan and Danny Jackson, the bullpen should be further fortified. The Cards
pitching depth is unmatched in the NL Central...and that's one of the reasons
they should win the division.
Give the Rams credit for their knowledge of the NFL salary cap in keeping
Todd Lyght. When he signed a four year deal with a $4 million bonus with
the Jags, most people thought he was as good as gone. But the Rams knew
right away that a contract that includes more than a 50% drop in salary
from year one to year two provides for them to spread the bonus over two
years. Think the Arizona Cardinals would know that? The Jaguars certainly
didn't...they thought they had Lyght lock, stock and barrel. Now the Rams
have enough good cornerbacks that if they take one with the thirteenth pick,
they'll be drafting for depth rather than need. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper
told me Sunday that he thinks its possible the Rams can still get Nebraska
RB Lawrence Phillips with the sixth pick, and at number thirteen could get
Oregon CB Alex Molden, Ohio State WR Terry Glenn or Syracuse WR Marvin Harrison.
The possibility of a tradeup to assure the acquisition of Phillips is still
a possibility. The latest had St. Louis sending their sixth pick and their
second rounder, along with Jerome Bettis, to the Jets for the top selection.
The Blues head into the playoffs having one just once in their last dozen
games. They can't score. Nobody has played together for any length of time.
They're old. Coach Mike Keenan says they lack a "pure goal scorer",
a "50 goal scorer" (FYI, Brendan Shanahan had 44 goals in an injury-shortened
campaign), and the fans are down on the organization. The perfect salve
for many of these problems? The Toronto Maple Leafs. This is a team that
itself went through a rough quarter of the season that cost a good coach,
Pat Burns, his job. Doug Gilmour, Mike Gartner, Wendel Clark and Larry Murphy
are assuredly old. Those players all had difficult offensive seasons, and
the Leaf fans have been up in arms since November. They've been especially
peeved since trading away their "future", Dmitri Mironov for Murphy,
a number one choice this year for D Dimitri Yushkevich, G Damien Rhodes
and LW Ken Belanger in the monster Kirk Muller deal, Prospects C's Darby
Hendrickson and Sean Haggerty, along with D Kenny Jonnson and a '97 number
one, for Clark and Matthieu Schneider. We have a couple of mirror images
in this series...with one exception. Mike Keenan is playoff tested, having
been to the Stanley Cup finals four times. Ever hear of Nick Beverly? He's
the Maple Leaf coach. For all their troubles, the Blues appear to have picked
the right team to play. I'll take them to beat Toronto in the first round.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Randy Karraker is KMOX's primary sports reporter, and can
be heard hosting various Sports Open Line shows throughout the week. In
addition, Karraker also co-hosts the Sunday Night Trivia Show (with KMOX
movie reviewer Harry Hamm), which normally begins just after Sunday's 8:00
pm news.
2.0 StLSO Sports Shorts
2.1 Cardinals News
*On the heels of taking three of four from Philadelphia (and splitting with
Montreal), the Cards enter their four game set with Pittsburgh with a 4-2
record on the (home) season-opening ten game home stand.
*The starting pitching vs. the Pirates shapes up as follows: Monday--Alan
Benes, Tuesday--brother Andy, Wednesday--Donovan Osborne, and Thursday--Todd
Stottlemyre. Those four righthanders, combined with lefty (and #5 guy) Tom
Urbani, are likely to form the rotation for the next couple of weeks.
*Brian Barber, Terry Bradshaw, and Aaron Holbert were sent to Louisville
on Monday. Their places on the roster were taken by Tom Pagnozzi, Rich Batchelor,
and Brian Jordan. Jordan returns after a short stint on the disabled list
due to an injured thumb. Batchelor will likely be returned to Louisville
prior to Donovan Osborne's start (and roster activation) on Wednesday.
*Ray Lankford is on fire at the plate. Prior to the Pittsburgh series, Lankford's
average (.327) and power numbers (three doubles, a triple, and three homers)
suggest that he is thriving under the tutelage of hitting coach George Hendrick
2.2 Blues Banter
*As the Blues enter the 1996 playoffs, a final look at the 1995-96 regular
season--
October 1995 Results
# DATE HOME AWAY result comment
1 Sat Oct 7 WASHINGTON L 4-1 team listless
2 Tue 10 EDMONTON W 5-2 Hull:4 goals
3 Thu 12 DALLAS W 3-1 Fuhr:35 saves
4 Sat 14 COLORADO W 4-1 Noonan:1G/3A
5 Tue 17 BOSTON L 7-4 16K at Kiel
6 Thu 19 DALLAS T 1-1 Fuhr strong
7 Sat 21 CHICAGO L 4-1 Belfour rules
8 Sun 22 BUFFALO L 5-2 Sabres 3 pp Gs
9 Wed 25 HARTFORD W 4-2 Hawerchuk:1G/3A
10 Fri 27 ANAHEIM W 4-2 Corson: 2G
11 Sun 29 WASHINGTON L 3-1 Kiel quiet
OCTOBER SUMMARY: 5-5-1; 11 pts
November 1995 Results
# DATE HOME AWAY result comment
12 Wed Nov 1 ANAHEIM L 3-0 Hebert shutout
13 Sat 4 SAN JOSE L 7-3 StL:2 SOG in 3rd
14 Tue 7 LOS ANGELES L 1-0 Dafoe strong
15 Fri 10 WINNIPEG W 3-2 Noonan: 2G
16 Sat 11 NY ISLANDERS W 4-1 Courtnall: 3G
17 Tue 14 NY RANGERS T 1-1 playoff hockey
18 Thu 16 SAN JOSE W 3-1 Fuhr shines
19 Sat 18 BOSTON L 5-2 team listless
20 Tue 21 TORONTO L 5-2 Leafs dominate
21 Thu 23 VANCOUVER L 3-2 Blues bullied
22 Sat 25 TORONTO T 2-2 20K see Twist
23 Mon 27 BUFFALO L 2-0 Hasek shutout
24 Wed 29 MONTREAL W 5-4 Hull: 1G
25 Thu 30 WINNIPEG W 4-1 Hull: 2G
NOVEMBER SUMMARY: 5-7-2; 12 pts
December 1995 Results
# DATE HOME AWAY result comment
26 Sat Dec 2 EDMONTON W 7-3 Hull: 2G
27 Tue 5 CALGARY T 1-1 Johnson: 1G
28 Fri 8 VANCOUVER W 6-3 Hull: 2G
29 Sat 9 LOS ANGELES W 2-1 Hull: 2G
30 Tue 12 DETROIT L 5-2 no contest
31 Thu 14 CALGARY T 3-3 #16 out w/flu
32 Sat 16 SAN JOSE W 3-2 Hull: 2G
33 Tue 19 NY ISLANDERS W 4-1 Corson: 2PPG
34 Fri 22 COLORADO L 2-1 Fuhr strong
35 Sat 23 WINNIPEG L 2-1 Hull: 1G
36 Tue 26 DETROIT L 3-2 Blues blow lead
37 Thu 28 DALLAS W 4-1 Hull: 2G
38 Sat 30 TORONTO L 4-3 Blues blow lead
DECEMBER SUMMARY: 6-5-2; 14 pts
January 1996 Results
# DATE HOME AWAY result comment
39 Thu Jan 4 CHICAGO L 3-2 Hull: 1G
40 Sat 6 PITTSBURGH W 3-2 Hull: 1G
41 Tue 9 NEW JERSEY L 4-2 Hull: 1G
42 Thu 11 PHILADELPHIA T 4-4 Hull: 1G
43 Sat 13 MONTREAL T 3-3 Blues blow lead
44 Sun 14 NY RANGERS T 3-3 Blues blow lead
45 Tue 16 EDMONTON L 5-1 Cujo returns
46 Wed 24 WINNIPEG W 6-5 Twist: 1G
47 Sat 27 TAMPA BAY W 2-1 Twist: 2G
48 Mon 29 OTTAWA L 4-2 Hawerchuk: 2G
49 Wed 31 TORONTO W 4-0 Hawerchuk: 500th
January totals: 4-4-3
*Blues February 1996 Results
# DATE HOME AWAY result comment
50 Thu Feb 1 VANCOUVER T 2-2 Courtnall: 1G
51 Sat 3 PHILADELPHIA L 7-3 Lindros: 3G
52 Tue 6 DALLAS L 5-2 team listless
53 Thu 8 CHICAGO L 6-1 5 3rd period goals
54 Sat 10 DALLAS W 6-3 Olsson: 2G
55 Sun 11 FLORIDA T 2-2 Olsson: 2A
56 Tue 13 TAMPA BAY W 3-2 Hull: 1G
57 Fri 16 DETROIT W 4-3 4 3rd period Gs
58 Sun 18 WINNIPEG W 3-0 Fuhr sharp
59 Tue 20 OTTAWA L 7-1 4-0 after 5 minutes
60 Thu 22 CHICAGO W 4-3 come-from-behind
61 Sat 24 LOS ANGELES T 2-2 #99 preview?
62 Thu 29 VANCOUVER T 2-2 #99: 1G
February totals: 5-4-4
*Blues March 1996 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 L 4-2 #99: 2 assists
66 Sat 9 HARTFORD W 6-3 20,803 at Kiel
67 Tue 12 CALGARY L 4-2 StL 0-2-2 vs Cal
68 Fri 15 SAN JOSE W 4-2 Hull hat trick
69 Sun 17 ANAHEIM W 5-1 Selanne hat trick
70 Mon 18 LOS ANGELES W 3-1 #99: 1G & 1A
71 Wed 20 DALLAS L 2-0 Twist loses fight
72 Fri 22 ANAHEIM L 6-1 poor effort; Courtnall 1G
73 Sun 24 DETROIT T 2-2 Blues come back twice
74 Tue 26 PITTSBURGH L 8-4 Lemieux: 5 goals
75 Thu 28 NEW JERSEY T 4-4 Courtnall: 2 goals
76 Sun 31 DETROIT L 8-1 Fuhr hurts knee
March totals: 6-6-2
*Blues April 1996 Results
# DATE HOME AWAY result comment
77 Wed Apr 3 COLORADO W 6-3 Leach: 2 goals
78 Thu 4 TORONTO L 3-1 Leafs up 2 quickly
79 Sat 6 TORONTO L 5-1 Blues scored first
80 Mon 8 WINNIPEG T 2-2 Hull: 2G
81 Thu 11 COLORADO L 3-2 Blues: 46 shots
82 Sun 14 CHICAGO T 2-2 Blues: 52 shots
April totals: 1-3-2
1995-96 REGULAR SEASON FINAL RECORD:32-34-16 (80 points)
*Toronto vs. St. Louis Western Division Quarterfinals
GAME #1: Tuesday, April 16 St. Louis at Toronto, 6:30 p.m.
GAME #2: Thursday, April 18 St. Louis at Toronto, 6:30 p.m.
GAME #3: Sunday, April 21 Toronto at St. Louis, 6:30 p.m.
GAME #4: Tuesday, April 23 Toronto at St. Louis, 7 p.m.
GAME #5: Thursday, April 25 St. Louis at Toronto, 6:30 p.m., if necessary
GAME #6: Saturday, April 27 Toronto at St. Louis, 6:30 p.m., if necessary
GAME #7: Monday, April 29 St. Louis at Toronto, 6:30 p.m., if necessary
2.3 Rams Report by JIM HUNSTEIN
It's the old story of the plate spinner from the old Ed Sullivan Show. As
he works on one plate, others start to wobble and fall.
Most professional football teams have three sets of plates to worry about:
offense, defense, and special teams. Last week, right after the Rams get
the offense's plate spinning (i.e. Steve Walsh was inked), one of the dishes
on defense (the secondary) began to show signs of crashing.
But due to a stroke of good fortune, Steve Ortmayer and his fellow Rams
executives are still on stage, spinning plates. Here's why.
Last week, premiere cornerback Todd Lyght signed an offer sheet with the
Jacksonville Jaguars worth $10.5 million over four years. The offer included
a frontloaded $4 million salary for next season...an offer that the Rams
would have been hard-pressed to match. Since the Rams had named Lyght as
a "transitional player", they retained matching rights for Lyght's
services.
It would have been difficult for the Rams to come up with the $4 million
upfront, under their salary cap. In order to keep Lyght, their fifth overall
pick in the 1991 draft, they would have had to rework existing contracts
or release a player or two. "Obviously we consider Todd a good player
or we wouldn't have designated him a transition player to begin with,"
said general manager Steve Ortmayer. "We'll start putting our thoughts
together on it. All these things take ingenuity."
Well, someone in the Rams front-office quickly realized that Jacksonville's
salary offer to Lyght was easier to meet than they expected, because the
terms of Lyght's contract with the Jags included a greater-than-50% cut
in salary between the first and second years of the contract.
Translation? The $4 million year #1 salary, in terms of how it would count
against the Rams cap, could be averaged over two years.
Thus, Todd Lyght remains a Ram, with no apparent damage to the roster (at
this date), because the Rams were quite able to absorb the first-year balloon
into their league-mandated salary structure.
Why are the Rams so interested in keeping Lyght? The Notre Damer finished
the 1995 season with a career-high four interceptions, including one returned
for a touchdown against the Saints. He was fourth on the team with 81 tackles
and 10 pass break-ups. He has started the last 32 Rams games at left cornerback.
By re-signing Lyght, the Rams provided further evidence that they are really
committed to winning. Lyght has made a name for himself as one of the best,
hardest-hitting CBs in the league. He will be counted on to be a major force
in the Rams secondary in the upcoming season.
2.4 Ambush Summary
The Ambush stretched their five-game NPSL National Division final series
with the Kansas City Attack to the limit, but lost to at KC Monday night
20-9.
The Kiel Center thus can put the soccer goals in storage for another year.
But...are you ready for some (indoor) football?
2.5 Stampede Summary
In front of 5,051 Arena Football League fans at the Kiel Center, the St.
Louis Stampede were defeated by the Orlando Predators in the first exhibition
game of the 1996 season.
The final score was 65-27.
The Predators were led by Barry Wagner, who caught two first-quarter touchdown
passes.
In limited action, Stampede starting QB John Kaleo completed 10 of 12 passes.
2.6 StLSO Quote of the Week
From Monday night's Cardinals-Pirates radio telecast:
*Mike Shannon, after a Bucs batter had fouled off a number of pitches: "[Pirates
outfielder Mike] Kingery is distributing souvenirs to the fans in Busch
Stadium..."
*Jack Buck, describing action in which a fly ball was hit to left field
by a Pirate batter. Earlier in the game, Ron Gant had committed an error...and
looked less than confident doing so: "Fly ball to left. Gant will catch
it...maybe. You don't mind if I say maybe, do you?"
2.7 StLSO Headline of the Week
From the 4.15.96 Post-Dispatch: "Norman Foldo, Winner Faldo"
3.0 StLSO Features
3.1 Blues Playoff Preview
3.1.1 Burning Leafs by RANDY HU
The Stanley Cup is the most sacred chalice in all of professional sports.
This year's playoffs should be one of the most compelling second seasons
in recent memory. Can the NHL record-setting Detroit Red Wings prove that
last year was a fluke and steamroll their way to the finals or will they
collapse quicker than Greg Norman? Closer to home, the Blues and the Toronto
Maple Leafs meet in the first round of the playoffs in a tumultuous, controversial-filled
year for both clubs.
During the season, popular players were exiled, youngsters were traded for
veterans, the media sniped at the coach, the coach criticized certain players,
attendance waned, they only won ten games against teams with winning records,
injuries affected key players and the fans complained. Okay, enough about
the Leafs. Recognize any similarities?
The Blues year came down to the final game of the regular season against
Chicago knowing that if they lost, coupled with a Winnipeg victory over
the Anaheim, it would have matched them up against the superior Red Wings
and a certain first round loss. The Blues ended up tying the Blackhawks
and thus traveling to Toronto, while Winnipeg lost, ensuring the Jets being
the sacrificial tuneup for the Wings.
The Blues backed into the playoffs by going 1-7-4 in the final 12 games
of the regular season, easily the worst mark in the league down the stretch.
Coach/GM Mike Keenan placed "a huge value on having home-ice advantage
in an attempt to develop some continuity among the team", but the Blues
squandered the opportunity with their late season slump. Most disturbing
was their 6-10-5 record since Wayne Gretzky was acquired on February 27
and how his presence didn't inspire his teammates to greater heights, notably
Brett Hull. Even before injuries affected the team, the Blues were under
.500, floundering on special teams, and taking far too many undisciplined
obstruction penalties.
Keenan has built an aging team that is playoff tested, but short on skill,
scoring, and speed. Adam Creighton spin-o-rama highlight goals are rare
and far between. Iron Mike has been like a dog chasing his tail, trading
players in and out of the lineup, trying to develop the right chemistry.
All season long, the Blues have been an underachieving team that has a hard
time motivating themselves for important games. When it comes to playoff
hockey, you can't turn on intensity and commitment like a light switch.
They tend to play to the level of their competition, which exposes weaknesses,
despite their experience.
The Blues need to play solid defense in front of goalie Grant Fuhr to have
any chance. Their key is to survive the first five minutes of each game
without a penalty called or goal against. They play dump-and-chase hockey,
but lack the speed or puck control to do it effectively. Improvements on
face-offs, battles in the corners, and avoiding "herd" hockey
may lead to more scoring chances. They have players who can dig along the
boards, but not enough finishers who can score, as attested by their 2.7
goals per game. Only New Jersey and Ottawa scored fewer times than the Blues.
The Leafs are an experienced team, loaded with veteran players who have
advanced to the final four (conference finals) in two of the past three
years. GM Cliff Fletcher was second only to Keenan this year in the number
of trades made this year. From the 23 players on their playoff roster from
last year, 11 have been traded. They went through an eight-game losing streak,
amidst a nightmarish 3-16-3 skid, in which they were badly outplayed and
led to the eventual firing of their head coach, Pat Burns, on March 4.
The Leafs gained momentum by making a late season surge for interim coach
Nick Beverley, who employs a more attacking style. They boast scorers Mats
Sundin, Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Mike Gartner, Dave Gagner, Kirk Muller,
in addition to offensive defensemen Larry Murphy and Mathieu Schneider.
But, they win games by protecting their own end before attacking and clogging
the neutral zone.
Player for player, give the Leafs a slight edge. In the regular season,
the Blues only won once in six tries with Toronto. Each teams goalie, Fuhr
and Felix Potvin, have been solid, performing spectacularly at times. Both
defenses are non-intimidating (the LA Lakers throw more checks) and slow
afoot. Muckers and grinders are plentiful. Specialty teams will be the key
to the series and the Leafs power play should provide the difference.
You heard it here, the Leafs rake the Blues in seven games.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Randy Hu is the hockey columnist for The Riverfront Times.
He can also be heard Wednesday mornings on all-sports KFNS (590 AM)
3.1.2 Blues....Any Reason for Optimism?
by NANCY BUCHANAN
Amid all the injuries it is easy to lose sight of what's gone right for
the Blues lately. Since March 26 the Blues have lost seven players to injuries--March
26: Shayne Corson (fractured jaw) and Tony Twist (sprained ankle); March
28: Brett Hull (torn hamstring); March 31: Grant Fuhr (displaced knee cap)
and Rob Pearson (neck); April 3: Mike Hudson (neck); April 4: Wayne Gretzky
(lower back bruise). Each player was expected to be out 1-2 weeks at the
time of his injury.
On April 8, in a 2-2 tie against Winnipeg, the Blues welcomed back Corson,
Fuhr and Hull. The other four injured Blues were still absent on April 11
in a 3-2 loss to Colorado. Gretzky returned to the ice for the 2-2 tie with
Chicago. Pearson and Twist were reportedly healthy but did not play against
Chicago on April 14. Hudson's injury lingered as the Blues prepared for
the first playoff game.
In the last twelve games of the regular season (March 20- April 14) the
Blues' record was a dismal 1-7-4.This twelve game slide started before injuries
plagued the Blues. But let's look on the bright side......Hockey experts
say special teams and goaltending are the keys to the playoffs. After missing
only three games, goalie Grant Fuhr returned and has a chance to end his
storybook season of 76 straight starts with a happy ending by giving a great
playoff performance. And the Blues' power play and penalty-killing units
performed fairly well in the last dozen games even though victories were
few.
Here's a breakdown of the Blues play in recent games. Perhaps these numbers
will provide a clue as to the Blues' fortunes in this season's playoffs.
*POWER PLAY
The Blues' power play accounted for 11 of their 27 goals over the last twelve
games. The Blues converted on 11 of 58 power play opportunities for a 19.0%
success rate. Against Pittsburgh (8-4 loss March 26) and New Jersey (4-4
tie March 28) the Blues had two power play goals per game. A key player
who was on the ice for all four of those power play goals was defenseman
Christer Olsson. Rarely does the puck slip past Olsson when he plays left
point on the power play. And he has a great slap shot. Unfortunately, Olsson
was scratched from the line up in the past few games. Olsson is not as big
nor as physical as the other defensemen, but he is invaluable on the power
play.
The Blues' power play also produced in the 6-3 win over Colorado (April
3) when Gretzky, Peter Zezel and Glenn Anderson each scored with the man
advantage.
*OFFENSE
The Blues were very good offensively in three recent games.....In fact they
scored a total of 14 goals in just three games ( 8-4 loss to Pittsburgh
March 26; 4-4 tie with New Jersey March 28; 6-3 win over Colorado April
3). Unfortunately, the arithmetic shows that in the other nine recent games
the Blues managed only thirteen goals--- in five games the Blues scored
just one goal per game and four times the Blues scored only two goals per
game.
*DEFENSE
Defensively the Blues have had seven recent successes coupled with four
glaring failures. (The 4-4 tie with New Jersey was something in between
a success and a glaring failure.) The Blues played very well against Colorado's
strong offense on both April 3 and April 11 holding the Avalanche to three
goals per game. Dallas (March 20), Detroit (March 31) and Chicago (April
14) were held to just two goals each. The Winnipeg game was also a good
defensive effort for the Blues who held the Jets to just one goal (until
the final five seconds of regulation time when the Jets scored their second
goal to tie the game).
In the April 4 game against Toronto the Blues held the Maple Leafs to three
goals but the Blues' defense was not sharp two days later when Toronto won
5-1. The Blues' defense also fell apart in tough games on March 22 (6-1
loss to Anaheim), on March 26 against Mario Lemieux and the Penguins (who
scored eight goals against the Blues) and against the formidable Red Wings
(who also scored eight goals in the March 31 game.)
*PENALTY-KILLING
Even in the Detroit 8-1 loss the Blues' penalty-killing was successful as
they allowed the Red Wings only one power play goal on seven attempts. Colorado
scored only one power play goal against the Blues on April 3 and none on
April 11. Chicago also managed only one power play goal against the Blues
in the final regular season game. In five other recent games, the Blues
held their opponents scoreless on the power play: Dallas (March 20), Detroit
(March 24), New Jersey (March 28), Toronto (April 4) and Winnipeg (April
8.) In these nine games the Blues held the opposition to just three goals
in 40 power play opportunities.
The Blues' penalty-killing crumbled in three games--Anaheim converted three
of six power play opportunities on March 22; Pittsburgh scored four times
in nine power play chances on March 26 and Toronto scored twice on the power
play (both in the third period) against the Blues on April 6.
*SUMMARY
In the final twelve games of the regular season, the Blues played outstanding
defense for an entire game on seven occasions and they played good offense
three times. In the playoffs the Blues have a chance to prove they can play
all aspects of the game on the same night....for 4 out of 7 games ....defense,
goal-scoring, penalty-killing, power play and goaltending.
In the regular season the Blues displayed their defensive strength and penalty-killing
prowess time and time again. And Grant Fuhr's goaltending has been nothing
less than stellar.
The big question remains..... offense.......I guess that's up to Hull and
Gretzky. Hull scored three goals in the last eight games in which he played.
Gretzky scored three goals in nine games before and after his back injury.
So you decide.....Is there any reason for optimism? Yes, if you think the
average final score for each Blues' playoff game will be 2-1. No, if you
think the Blues must score at least three goals a game to win a playoff
series.
3.2 Rams Decide on Walsh by JIM HUNSTEIN
The quarterback controversy is over for the Rams, at least for a while.
They have signed free agent Steve Walsh to a two-year, $2 million deal with
no signing bonus per se, but a $500,000 guarantee in 1996.
St. Louis is the fourth stop on Walsh's career. He has been with Dallas,
New Orleans, and most recently Chicago, where he was slated to be the starter.
But the Bears signed Erik Kramer to a huge contract and felt the need to
justify it by playing him ahead of Walsh. This despite the newest Ram leading
the Bears to the playoffs in 1994. "Last year I was kind of MIA [missing
in action]," he said. "It was a long, frustrating season coming
off the success I enjoyed as a starter for the Bears."
Coach Rich Brooks had said all along that this was not a popularity contest,
as a way of explaining the choice of Walsh over Post-Dispatch poll winner
Randall Cunningham. "This was an attempt to find the best fit for the
Rams' franchise," he aid. "And that's what we've done. I believe
Walsh brings more to this team than any other quarterback that we brought
in here to work out."
Walsh, 29, certainly has the makings of a pro quarterback. He has the size
and background of a pro passer. The 6-3, 200-pounder led the University
of Miami to un undefeated season and a national championship in 1987. And
he has the tools necessary to manage a ball-control offense, which it appears
the Rams have in mind for 1996.
Walsh brings a reputation that he can't throw the deep ball, but he threw
several deep posts and streaks and hit every one of them right on the money.
So he should be able to reach a flying Isaac Bruce or Alexander Wright.
The question will be whether he has to more often than necessary. The Rams
need to shore up the offensive line to provide running room for Jerome Bettis
and the tailback they'd better select at next weekend's NFL draft.
One of the other runner-ups on the P-D poll is still on the scene. Incumbent
Mark Rypien is a free agent but the Rams have matching rights. The Rams
have said they want the Ripper back but there are no proposals on the table.
Assuming he returns, Rypien will compete with Walsh for the starter's job.
3.3 Top 12 Reasons the Blues Want Pay-Per-View For Playoffs by JIM HUNSTEIN
12. Same reasons dogs do what they do; because they can
11. Want to be sure to maximize playoff revenue since even they're not all
that sure they'll get past the first round
10. Civic progress-types want to squeeze some of that allowance money out
of their kids
9. They need the extra money for medical supplies and units of blood
8. It took them this long to figure out how to get money from fans who stay
home
7. How else did you think they were going to pay for Gretzky?
6. If it's to buy out Keenan's contract, count me in
5. Twist will be ready for the playoffs and all the top fights are on pay-per-view
4. Didn't want to raise ticket prices
3. Because Keenan said so; stop questioning him and drink your Kool-Aid
2. This will make it easier for the fans to accept next year's revenue-generating
brain storm; pay toilets in Kiel
1. Lesson from the oldest profession; never give it away when you can charge
for it
3.4 Top 12 Comments Overheard On Opening Day by JIM HUNSTEIN
12. "Guess they won't be selling any more beer at Busch since they
lost the opener. Har!"
11. "I hear it's Scott Cooper in the Weatherbird costume."
10. "I guess people who can write $150 million checks don't need to
be able to throw."
9. "Who needs live baseball when you have video games?"
8. "If only they'd renovated these hot dogs."
7. "50 bucks says Fredbird kicks Weatherbird's butt in the seventh-inning
stretch cockfight."
6. "If they can grow grass on a bus, why can't they grow it in the
Dome? Or on my lawn?"
5. "Homer's Landing? Isn't that where Homer Simpson first put some
nuclear waste glop on some chips and called if ball park nachos?"
4. "Too many mascots, too few concessions workers."
3. "Gibby, Lou, Red, and The Man don't seem so old any more compared
to these guys."
2. "I'm sorry, Mr. Busch, but your seats are now way up there."
1. "The Grassroots? Why couldn't Yoko have broken them up?"
4.0 StLSO Recaps
4.1 Blues Summaries by BRIAN STULL
4.1.1 Colorado (GAME #81: 4.11.96)
In the last regular-season game at Kiel Center, the St.Louis Blues played
host to the Colorado Avalanche and fell victim to their inability to score,
losing 3-2. Colorado got on top midway through the first period as Joe Sakic
shot from the corner. Grant Fuhr made the initial save, but the rebound
went off the skate of Chris Pronger and past the far post into the net for
the goal at 11:09.
The Blues bounced back with a goal of their own when Igor Kravchuk beat
Stephane Fiset on a rebound in the crease at 1:43 of the second period,
but Dave Hannan answered with a Colorado goal at 5:00 to regain the lead.
Glenn Anderson took a step closer to goal number 500 with a tally at 8:44,
firing a shot from the right circle which deflected off of Adam Foote for
the goal. Then the Avalanche struck again using a nice give-and-go to get
the puck under Kravchuk in front and past Fuhr. The Blues did have 21 shots
in the second period, tying a season high, but couldn't solve Fiset.
The same held true for the third period as both Fiset and Fuhr turned away
great chances from in front. St.Louis tried a final surge, pulling Fuhr
for the sixth attacker with 49.3 left in the game, but it was no avail,
the game ended 3-2.
4.1.2 at Chicago (GAME #82: 4.14.96)
In a Sunday matinee game played at Chicago's United Center, the Blues and
Blackhawks skated to a 2-2 tie. The game was a frustrating one for Mike
Keenan's team in that they fired 52 shots at 'Hawks goalie Eddie Belfour.
But Belfour stopped 50 of those shots, allowing only Adam Creighton and
Geoff Courtnall to score.
The Blues' airtight defense allowed only 19 Blackhawk shots; Bernie Nicholls
and Bob Probert beat Grant Fuhr for the Chicago tallies.
The tie was significant for the Blues in that a win would have enabled them
to gain home ice advantage vs. the Maple Leafs. As it stands, the Blues
finished the regular season in fifth place in the Western Conference, and
open their playoff series vs. Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens.
4.2 Cards Series-by-Series Summaries by JIM HUNSTEIN and MARK BAUSCH
4.2.1 Cards Split With Expos On New Busch Grass
The initial returns are in: St. Louis fans like the changes at newly-remodeled
Busch Stadium. And Alan Benes went a long way toward helping Cards fans
enjoy the '96 Cardinals, too, as he fired a four-hitter in Wednesday's afternoon
game.
RESULTS: The Cards and Expos split the two game series. Montreal won the
first game (Monday night) 4-3 in ten innings, but the Cardinals won the
second game (Wednesday afternoon) 4-1.
GOING IN: The Cards were 3-3, a record good enough for fourth in the NL
Central.
COMING OUT: Still in fourth place; and still .500 (4-4)
HITTING: Gary Gaetti's home run on his first game as a Cardinal wasn't enough
in Monday's 4-3 loss; Gaetti had two other hits. Pat Borders had three hits
in Wednesday's game. The Expos Henry Rodriguez hit a home run in the fifth
inning of Monday's game, a blast that went off the "Darryl Strawberry
" Cardinals logo just below the upper deck above the 375 sign in right-center
field.
BASERUNNING: Gaetti and Royce Clayton managed the only Cardinal stolen bases
of the two-game series.
FIELDING: Dennis Eckersley botched a swinging bunt off the bat of Rondell
White in the eighth inning of Monday's game...a play during which the game-tying
run scored (there was one out at the time).
STARTING PITCHING: Two good efforts; Todd Stottlemyre allowed only four
hits in 7.2 innings Monday night, while Alan Benes threw a four-hitter on
Wednesday.
RELIEF PITCHING: Eckersley blew a save opportunity Monday night, and Jeff
Parrett took the loss after he allowed a single run in the tenth inning.
UP NEXT: A four-game series at Busch with the Phillies.
4.2.2 Cards Take Three of Four From Phillies
The Cardinals survived a few scares in their four-game series with the Phillies
but emerged triumphant. Not to mention in first place in the National League
Central division.
RESULTS: The Cards took the series 3-1. They won the first two games 2-1
and 6-1, lost the third game 4-1, and then won the last game 6-5.
GOING IN: The Cards were 4-4, 1 game out of first behind both the Cubs and
Reds.
COMING OUT: The Cards emerged 7-5 and in first place, tied with the Reds
and a half game ahead of both the Pirates and Cubs.
HITTING: We're still waiting for the bats to explode, but CF Ray Lankford
showed some pop going 7 for 16 with two homers in one game. Only two other
dingers; OF Ron Gant hit his third and 3B David Bell hit is first.
BASERUNNING: The new all-dirt infield must be slowing down the Cards as
Gant managed the only steal in series for the Redbirds. Mark Sweeney committed
a two-out ninth inning baserunning blunder on Saturday when Phillies SS
Kevin Stocker knocked down a ground ball hit up the middle by Ray Lankford.
Sweeney started out from second as if the ball was going to go through,
and rounded third a bit too much (in spite of 3B coach Tommie Reynolds exhortations
to stay near the bag). The alert Stocker threw behind Sweeney, who was tagged
out for the game's final out. The blunder left Ron Gant on deck, who would
have batted with the Cards down 4-2 and the bases loaded.
On the other hand, Phillie OF Mark Whiten swiped three on Sunday, including
second and third back-to-back in the third inning. The Cards did show some
aggressiveness, though, and got revenge on Whiten in the process. On Sunday
in the Cards' third, with 1B Danny Sheaffer (yes, he was playing first)
on first and PH Terry Bradshaw on second and a one-out, 3-2 count, the runners
took off. SS Royce Clayton tripled over Whiten's head. Same scenario in
the fifth and RF Willie McGee doubled into the left field corner to score
Lankford from second and Gant from first.
STARTING PITCHING: The top of the order is getting more solid. Andy Benes
earned his first Cardinal win going 7 2/3 innings and giving up only 1 earned
run while striking out 7. Todd Stottlemyre was cruising nicely in his start
on Saturday until he started to get hit, literally. He took two line drives,
one off the shoulder and jaw and one off his knee. Both times he had the
presence of mind to recover the ball and throw out the batter, but he was
lifted after the inning. X-rays were negative. To Urbani also got a win
after giving up 1 earned run in 5 1/3 innings. Brain Barber got shelled
on Sunday after giving up five runs on four hits and six walks in three
innings.
RELIEF PITCHING: Still sporadic and like the little girl with curls; when
good, very good, but when bad, very bad. The first two games the bullpen
was rock solid (5 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 walk). But in the third games,
they were throwing batting practice (4 innings, 6 hits, 2 walks, 3 earned
runs). Then they brought it together in relief of Barber on Sunday (6 innings,
2 hits, 3 walks, 0 runs) Moral: As goes the bullpen, so go the Cards. TJ
Mathews got the win in relief on Sunday and a save on Thursday. Dennis Eckersley
got his third save with a perfect 3-whiff ninth on Sunday.
FIELDING: A handful of errors, but generally good. Sheaffer took the first
major infield divot presumably in honor of the Masters, but on a very good
play. Phils P Sid Fernandez was trying to bunt but popped it up and Sheaffer
charged and caught the ball, leaving a couple dents in the grass. 2B Luis
Alicea, in for starter 2B Aaron Holbert, was holding the runner on second
and then had to go deep into the hole between first and second for a diving
stop of C Benito Santiago's hot grounder for a 4-3 out.
CATCH-ALL: Phenom Holbert got his first start, at lead-off no less, on Sunday
after SS Ozzie Smith went on the DL with his hamstring. A rather inauspicious
debut as he managed to make the first out of the inning in each of his at
bats. The Cards quietly took over first place in the NL Central after Friday's
win.
OVERALL: Any successful recipe calls for a pinch of this and dash of that.
Bradshaw supplied both. He got a pinch-hit single in the third and dashed
home from first on Clayton's triple. Some other very positives came from
the series. The Cards scored first in the first three games. Then they came
back from a 5-0 deficit on Sunday after only the third inning. They got
three runs in the third and three more in the fifth.
UP NEXT: 4-game set with Pirates at Busch Stadium
5.0 StLSO Numbers
5.1 Blues Final Regular Season Statistics
5.1.1 Scoring Statistics
POS NO. PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW GT S PCTG
C 99 WAYNE GRETZKY 80 23 79 102 13- 34 6 1 3 1 195 11.8
R 16 BRETT HULL 70 43 40 83 4 30 16 5 6 0 327 13.1
D 2 AL MACINNIS 82 17 44 61 5 88 9 1 1 1 317 5.4
L 9 SHAYNE CORSON 77 18 28 46 3 192 13 0 0 2 150 12.0
L 14 GEOFF COURTNALL 69 24 16 40 9- 101 7 1 1 2 228 10.5
R 28 BRIAN NOONAN 81 13 22 35 2 84 3 1 6 0 131 9.9
L 13 YURI KHMYLEV 73 8 21 29 17- 40 5 1 1 1 136 5.9
R 27 STEPHEN LEACH 73 11 17 28 7- 108 1 0 2 0 157 7.0
L 32 STEPHANE MATTEAU 78 11 15 26 8- 87 4 0 2 1 109 10.1
D 44 CHRIS PRONGER 78 7 18 25 18- 110 3 1 1 0 138 5.1
D 5 IGOR KRAVCHUK 66 7 16 23 19- 34 3 0 1 0 173 4.0
C 20 ADAM CREIGHTON 61 11 10 21 0 78 2 0 3 1 98 11.2
C 25 PETER ZEZEL 57 8 13 21 2- 12 2 0 1 0 87 9.2
C 15 MIKE HUDSON 59 5 12 17 2 55 0 0 0 0 59 8.5
R 36 GLENN ANDERSON 32 6 8 14 11- 33 2 0 1 0 71 8.5
C 23 CRAIG MACTAVISH 68 5 9 14 9- 70 0 0 1 1 58 8.6
D 34 MURRAY BARON 82 2 9 11 3 190 0 0 0 0 86 2.3
R 12 ROB PEARSON 27 6 4 10 4 54 1 0 1 0 51 11.8
D 22 CHARLIE HUDDY 64 5 5 10 12- 65 2 0 1 0 70 7.1
D 35 *CHRISTER OLSSON 26 2 8 10 6- 14 2 0 0 0 32 6.3
D 33 KEN SUTTON 38 0 8 8 13- 43 0 0 0 0 41 .0
L 18 TONY TWIST 51 3 2 5 1- 100 0 0 1 0 12 25.0
C 37 *ROMAN VOPAT 25 2 3 5 8- 48 1 0 1 0 33 6.1
D 26 JAY WELLS 76 0 3 3 8- 67 0 0 0 0 24 .0
L 17 BASIL MCRAE 18 1 1 2 5- 40 0 0 0 0 5 20.0
R 21 PAUL BROTEN 17 0 1 1 1- 4 0 0 0 0 11 .0
L 7 GREG GILBERT 17 0 1 1 1- 8 0 0 0 0 9 .0
G 31 GRANT FUHR 79 0 1 1 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 .0
R 41 *ALEXANDER VASILEVSKI 1 0 0 0 1- 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
L 33 FRED KNIPSCHEER 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 .0
D 6 *JAMIE RIVERS 3 0 0 0 1- 2 0 0 0 0 5 .0
G 30 JON CASEY 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .0
G 29 BRUCE RACINE 11 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .0
5.1.2 Goaltending Statistics
# GOALTENDER GPI MINS AVG W L T EN SO GA SA SV % G A PI
31 GRANT FUHR 79 4365 2.87 30 28 16 1 3 209 2157 .903 0 1 8
29 BRUCE RACINE 11 230 3.13 0 3 0 0 0 12 101 .881 0 0 2
30 JON CASEY 9 395 3.80 2 3 0 0 0 25 180 .861 0 0 0
39 PAT JABLONSKI 1 8 7.50 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 .800 0 0 0
TOTALS 82 5003 2.97 32 34 16 1 3 248 2444 .899
5.2 Cardinals Statistics (through Sunday, April 14)
5.2.1 Cards Hitting Statistics
BA SLG OBA G AB R H TB 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS E
Borders .419 .516 .419 9 31 2 13 16 3 0 0 3 0 7 0 0 1
Smith .400 .400 .400 2 5 0 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Lankford .327 .612 .346 12 49 7 16 30 3 1 3 7 2 7 1 0 0
Sweeney .308 .385 .471 9 13 3 4 5 1 0 0 1 4 2 0 0 0
Gant .289 .579 .453 12 38 11 11 22 2 0 3 10 12 8 2 0 1
McGee .283 .413 .313 10 46 7 13 19 3 0 1 8 2 8 0 0 1
Clayton .271 .458 .327 12 48 3 13 22 5 2 0 8 5 14 3 2 3
Mabry .250 .389 .300 10 36 4 9 14 2 0 1 4 3 7 0 0 0
Alicea .240 .300 .283 12 50 5 12 15 3 0 0 1 3 10 0 0 2
Gaetti .212 .303 .229 8 33 1 7 10 0 0 1 2 1 6 1 0 2
Bell .200 .350 .238 7 20 1 4 7 0 0 1 1 1 5 0 0 1
Bradshaw .200 .200 .385 9 10 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 1 0
Sheaffer .200 .280 .286 9 25 3 5 7 2 0 0 4 3 4 1 0 0
Holbert .000 .000 .000 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mejia .000 .000 .000 5 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0
5.2.2 Cards Pitching Statistics
W- L ERA G GS CG GF SH SV IP H R ER HR BB SO
Eckersley 0- 1 0.00 7 0 0 6 0 3 7.2 8 2 0 0 0 10
Mathews 1- 0 0.00 7 0 0 2 0 1 9.2 3 0 0 0 5 8
Parrett 1- 1 2.35 6 0 0 1 0 0 7.2 4 2 2 0 8 7
An. Benes 1- 0 2.49 3 3 0 0 0 0 21.2 11 6 6 3 5 17
Stottlemyre 1- 0 2.70 3 3 0 0 0 0 20.0 11 7 6 2 8 13
Al. Benes 1- 0 2.92 2 2 1 0 0 0 12.1 11 8 4 1 4 16
Bailey 1- 0 3.12 6 0 0 1 0 0 8.2 7 3 3 0 8 10
Fossas 0- 2 3.18 7 0 0 0 0 0 5.2 8 2 2 0 2 4
Urbani 1- 0 3.97 2 2 0 0 0 0 11.1 11 5 5 2 3 1
Honeycutt 0- 0 6.00 5 0 0 1 0 0 3.0 4 2 2 0 2 3
Barber 0- 0 15.00 1 1 0 0 0 0 3.0 4 5 5 0 6 1
Busby 0- 1 18.00 1 1 0 0 0 0 4.0 9 13 8 4 4 4
6.0 StLSO Media Watch
6.1 Fifteen Minutes of Fame by JIM HUNSTEIN
Remember the story of the guy who had to be carried out of the recent Cards
game after nearly killing himself for a foul ball? St. Louis Sports Online
has the exclusive story. Seems Ron Grider is a big baseball fan who played
in high school and still coaches kids teams. He and a friend were sitting
near one of the tunnels when a foul ball came their way. The ball bounced
in the tunnel and up to the pair. Grider decided he was to have the ball
and went for it. He jumped and caught the ball with his left hand. But his
feet caught on the rail and flipped him over. After the somersault, he tried
to roll. But he landed on his right shoulder, separating it and breaking
his arm to boot. But he held on to the ball despite going five feet down
and four feet over.
Grider ended up being interviewed by channels 30, 2, and 4 locally as well
as CNN. He even made ESPN's catch of the day. He might have had visions
of late night talk shows that came ot the guy who caught the field goal
as he jumped and fell into an end zone tunnel. All for a $3.95 baseball.
6.2 Simon Says by SCOTT SIMON
6.2.1 More WIBV Hires
Doug Vaughn, the three-time Emmy award-winning sportscaster at KMOV-TV,
Channel 4, will join the WIBV sports line-up.
He'll co-host the station's Sunday sports program with Jim Holder from 9
a.m. to noon. It's a good move, because Vaughn is one of the most underrated
TV sportscasters in St. Louis, winning Emmys while being relegated to weekend
duty.
Also joining WIBV in a limited capacity is John Hadley, former KFNS host
and currently a writer and editor for several national football magazines.
Hadley will appear on several shows.
WIBV has also inked former Cards manager Whitey Herzog to be a contributor
to their sports programs. Herzog, now in baseball retirement, will be a
big hit with his direct and blunt style.
6.2.2 New KMOX Studio at Busch Stadium
For those of you who are in the business, or wanting to know what a radio
studio looks like, check out KMOX's new digs at Busch Stadium for post-game
shows, and live broadcasts by the station during the day when the Cards
are in town.
Located underneath the stadium seating on the renovated first level for
the new preferred boxseat holders (the ones paying $100 per game per seat),
it is very well designed and efficiently functional for any broadcast purpose.
It probably will set a national trend for stations airing lots of sports
from a arena or stadium facility.
6.2.3 Strictly Rumor
Insiders tell StLSO that Channel 2 sportscaster Lou Tevlin's stint at KMOX
may soon be over. The guess here is that KMOX will pursue Channel 4 prime
sports anchor Steve Savard, in what seems to be management's overall goal
of adding high profile television personalities (i.e. Dave Murray) to their
airwaves.
7.0 StLSO Interactivity
*StLSO media writer Scott Simon passed this one along--
"The suspected Unabomber is finding out jail is hell," says Morty
Wright. "Toilets, running water, color TV..."
*Gary DeGostin writes from Connecticut--
I do enjoy your publication a lot. I've been a Cardinal fan for over 30
years and as you can imagine It's tough getting info and following a team
1500 miles away. You guys fill that void nicely. Keep up the good work!
EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. DeGostin reminded the StLSO staff that Miguel Mejia is
the spare outfielder currently on the Cardinals roster, not Sam Mejias.
*Rev. Kevin Deck writes from Ocala, Florida--
From the recent mail that you have received it appears as though you need
to begin a refund policy. It seems as though there are those who are upset
with the subjects you cover or the subjects that are not covered. You have
apparently really irritated some who did not receive their newsletter when
they thought they should. I suggest for the benefit of those unhappy with
your service that you refund a percentage of their subscription price.
The guidelines would be as follows:
--For those unhappy with the sports you did not cover refund 10%.
--For those unhappy with the sports you did cover refund 20%.
--For those who did not receive their newsletter at the exact moment they
thought they should have refund 100%.
--For those who are so angry that they include descriptive expletives refund
200% of the subscription price and discontinue their subscription.
(That way they could avoid something that makes them so angry.)
Seriously, thank you for your newsletter. I moved away from St. Louis in
the middle Seventies when my heroes were Garry Unger, Diego Segui and Lou
Brock ( I was there the night he broke Maury Wills record). I am thankful
to once again be in touch with the St. Louis sports scene.
Sign me a grateful Cardinal and Blues fan,
EDITOR'S NOTE: Two words come to mind while reading that the Rev. Deck resides
in Ocala, Florida: "ALMOST THERE". StLSO readers who have driven
to Disney World from the midwestern United States know what I mean.
*Screenname VoiceofA writes--
Steve Walsh? 8-8 is suddenly looking pretty good again.
*C. Brian Goff writes from Atlanta, Georgia--
I have a few questions for Mike Rainey. He must have taken some lessons
from Dave Luecking on how to degrade the Blues. He omits several important
items from his article in an attempt to bolster his argument or because
of blatant stupidity.
Specifically, in a recent StLSO, Rainey criticized Mike Keenan's recent
acquisition of Yuri Khmylev.
Rainey also wrote that there were players who were acquired by other teams
for less...i.e. Ray Sheppard (36 goals) went to Florida for a second round
pick and that talented Markus Naslund (52 points) was traded for fourth-line
tough guy Alex Stojanov.
Finally, Rainey also suggested that it was time for Mike Keenan to leave
town, and that Toronto was calling.
My response to Mr. Rainey follows.
Let's not just look at this season. In 93-94 Khmylev, accumulated 58 points
in only 72 games. In addition, Khmylev has performed well in the playoffs.
In 15 playoff games, Khmylev has 7 goals and 11 points. One of the biggest
assets to Khmylev's game is his speed, something the Blues definitely lack.
In order to compete with the Wings, Avalanche, or Hawks, the Blues had to
have some kind of speed besides Geoff Courtnall.
Have you ever heard of a budget? The Blues are obviously way over the limit
set by the Kiel Partners after the acquisition of Wayne Gretzky. While it
would have been nice to obtain a goal scorer like Sheppard, the payroll
simply did not allow it. You have to put yourself in the general manager's
position. How would you go into the Kiel Partners and tell them that you
had just obtained another million plus a year player? Mike Keenan has done
a good job in getting the budget raised to where it is at now.
If you knew anything at all, you would know that Stojanov is not just another
fourth-line tough guy. Stojanov happened to be the seventh overall pick
in the 1991 entry draft. Although this guy hasn't lived up to his advanced
billing yet, he is still young and loaded with a ton of potential. His size
(6'4'') was something that was much coveted by the Pens to help bolster
their defense. How were the Blues to obtain Naslund? The Blues simply did
not have anything that the Pens were looking for. What big, hulking defenseman
were we going to trade to the Pens. Believe me, I would have loved to acquire
Markus Naslund. Here is another player who has not lived up to all of his
hype. However, he definitely has a ton of talent, as shown by his records
set in the WJC when centered by Peter Forsberg for Sweden.
Look at all of the facts next time before you decide to rip somebody.
*Jim McNally writes from Ottawa, Canada--
Looked you up on the Net today, and thought I would take you up on the kind
subscription offer. As a Missourian stuck up here in Godforsaken Ottawa,
it is great to get some news about the Redbirds, Blues, and Rams.
Thanks.
8.0 StLSO Editorials
8.1 What Are Gretzky, Hull , and
Corson Worth, Anyway?
What exactly is a superstar worth to his team, as far as wins and losses
are concerned?
Five games...ten games...fifteen games a year? Who knows?
But just as Michael Jordan's return to the Bulls provides at least some
answer to such a question, so does the upcoming Blues-Leafs playoff series.
Specifically, less than two weeks ago, the Leafs won a pair of games from
the Blues (3-1 and 5-1). Both teams were going all out to win those two
games, as the playoff implications were obvious to all.
But the Blues were handicapped in that Brett Hull missed both games (with
an injured hamstring).
Furthermore, Wayne Gretzky was knocked out of the first game mid-way through
the second period (after being checked to the ice by Doug Gilmour). That
same injury prevented the Great One from playing in the return affair as
well.
And Shayne Corson missed both games with Toronto, too, because of a broken
jaw.
So some measure of the presence of Brett Hull, Wayne Gretzky, and Shayne
Corson, in terms of their effect on the outcome of hockey games involving
the Blues and the Leafs, can be gained from the first round of this year's
playoffs.
8.2 The Blues Month-by-Month
A look at the Blues 1995-96 regular season record, on a month-by-month basis,
is quite revealing.
The NHL regular season begins in October, and ends in early April. The Blues'
won-loss-tie record in those seven months (October: 5-5-1; November: 5-7-2;
December: 6-5-2; January: 4-4-3; February: 5-4-4; March: 6-6-2; April: 1-3-2)
is remarkably consistent, and dramatizes the fact that St. Louis' hockey
fans have been treated to yet another season of .500 hockey.
Last season's anomaly in New Jersey aside, it strains the imagination to
believe that any .500 hockey club (actually, sub-.500, since the Blues finished
the year 32-34-16) can make a serious run at the Cup. Sure, there have been
other examples of near-miraculous playoff runs by teams that posted mediocre
regular-season records (a Vancouver club from the early '80s as well as
one of Mike Keenan's Blackhawk teams from the mid-80's).
But those examples are the exception, rather than the rule.
Besides, why do they play 82 games, anyway?
So, on the eve of this spring's Stanley Cup tournament, is there any reason
for Blues fans to be optimistic? Will the Blues be playing hockey well into
May...or even June?
For that to occur, St. Louis must first get by Toronto, in a series that
begins Tuesday night in Toronto.
How did the Blues and Leafs measure up during the 1995-96 season?
St. Louis and Toronto tangled six times. Toronto won four of those games
(there was one tie), and outscored the Blues 19-13. It is worth noting that
four of those thirteen goals came in the Jan. 31 4-0 shutout of Toronto,
a game in which now-departed Dale Hawerchuk scored his 500th goal.
The season's series with the Leafs thus dramatized the Blues' season-long
inability to score goals--thirteen goals in six games comes out to just
over two goals per game.
In the topsy-turvy world of the NHL, though, games in November and December
have little or no meaning as far as playoff games in April are concerned.
Injuries, trades, and coaching changes make such comparisons tenuous at
best, although Felix Potvin had a lot to do with the Blues pitiful scoring
vs. the Leafs.
Even the recent pair of games between the Blues and Leafs need to be looked
at very carefully.
In a home-and-home series contested on April 4 and 6, the Blues outshot
the Leafs by a combined total of 77-49. Because of the aforementioned injuries
to #s 99, 9, and 16, only one of those shots came from the stick of Gretzky;
none from the sticks of Hull or Corson. It therefore seems accurate to suggest
that Mike Keenan's band of grinders outworked the Leafs, but were unable
to put the puck past Leafs' goalie Felix Potvin.
So the Blues-Leafs playoff series enables hockey fans from around the world
to answer (or at least partially answer) the following questions: What do
Brett Hull and Wayne Gretzky (and Shayne Corson) mean to a hockey team?
Can their presence on the ice turn 3-1 and 5-1 deficits into Blues' victories?
Keenan says that a team wins when its best players play well. Gretzky and
Hull are no doubt chomping at the bit...just waiting to work their magic
in this season's playoffs. The same holds true for the less talented, but
equally committed, Corson.
Expect great things from that trio. And Keenan's coaching expertise (vs.
Toronto head coach Nick Beverley's relatively inexperience) is another factor
in St. Louis' favor.
Look for the Blues beat Toronto in six.
And bring on Detroit...but hold the octopus.
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