In the movie, Dirty Dancing, Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes sang the lead song: "The Time of My Life". This may be the theme song for the 2000 Gateway City sports scene.

Why? Because, this is best time EVER to be a follower of St. Louis Sports.

Yet, I wonder, though, if most local sport fans recognize this? Let's review, shall we?

In January, the St. Louis Rams shocked the world by capturing Super Bowl XXXIV, much to the chagrin of the charter members of that rich and arrogant cartel better known as the National Football League and their poster boy, Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

Two months later, the St. Louis University Men's Basketball Team caught lightning in a bottle during the post season Conference USA tournament and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The Women's Basketball team of Washington University captured their NCAA tournament, while putting together a winning streak that would make John Wooden and UCLA basketball followers smile.

In April, the St. Louis Blues put together their finest single season record in franchise history and captured the NHL's President's Trophy. In May, the St. Louis Swarm won the first ever International Basketball League title.

Now it's mid-June and the Baseball Cardinals in first place in the Central Division: twelve games over .500 at this writing over the fading Cincinnati Reds.

Plus, the Red Birds do have history on their side. Eighteen years ago in 1982, the Cardinals won their first National League Eastern Division Title and NLCS before capturing (their last) World Series Championship over Milwaukee.

Eighteen years before that, the 1964 Cardinals overcame an 8 _ game deficit in August to win the National League Pennant and eventually defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series four games to three.

Eighteen years before that, in 1946, the Red Birds of Musial, Marion, and Schoendienst captured their third world series championship of that decade thanks in large part to a legendary run by Enos Slaughter: scoring from first base on a Harry Walker single.

Eighteen years before that, in 1928, the St. Louis Cardinals won their second ever National League pennant, only to be swept by Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees four games to none.

If "Year 18"holds true, this confirms it is the best time EVER to be a St. Louis sports fan.

No, I have not accepted a job with the St. Louis Commerce and Growth Association or Chamber of Commerce. No, I have not "drunk the kool-aid" as one of my WGNU colleagues likes to accuse cheerleading local media types. No, I have not bumped my head and am in a dazed state. I am simply looking at the facts and looking at the records.

Think about it.

No other time has ALL Gateway City teams been this successful all at the same time. In 1982, while the Cardinals were World Series Champs, the then football Cardinals were eliminated by Green Bay in a playoff game designed due to a players strike, while the Blues did not make it past the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

During the 1960's while the Red Birds played in three fall classics, the Blues did qualify for the Stanley Cup Finals in their first season and the St. Louis Hawks, in the final St Louis NBA season, were Divisional Champs. But the football Cardinals illustrated why they earned the moniker of "Futile Franchise" with their play during these seasons.

In 1958, while the Hawks won their only NBA championship in St. Louis, the Cardinals faltered to a mediocre finish in the eight-team National League.

The first year of this new millennium has been a great ride for St. Louis Sports. ALL teams beginning with the words St. Louis are enjoying success. I wonder if a frequent visitor to Schmeizing's or Ozzie's or Hot Shots sold his/her soul to the devil!

Still just like the prosperity in the national economy, many throughout the Gateway City nation remain skeptical about this prosperity in local sports.

I have hosted squawk radio on WGNU since the summer of 1985. Throughout the years, when the Blues were up, the Cardinals were down. When the Cardinals were up, the Blues were mediocre and the Rams were down. When the Blues were successful St. Louis University was not taken seriously. Fans prayed for a year when everyone would be competitive all at the same time. Then the year 2000 arrived.

However, during the past six-nine months, my WGNU callers, just like other radio callers on other stations, letters to the Post-Dispatch and to us here at SLSO, generally have not enjoyed this prosperity. To illustrate we have heard/read local comments such as:

(Baseball) "The Cardinal pitching staff is not that good. La Russa is treating these pitchers like Gene Mauch did with the Phillies staff in 1964. Mc Gwire is over-rated. Lankford needs to go and the Cardinals are lucky they are in a weak division".

(Football) "The Rams will get their come-upping in 2000. They played a weak schedule last season and were lucky that no one got hurt. Mike Martz has never won a game as an NFL Head Coach and why did they waste their Number One pick on a running back?"

(Hockey) "The President's Trophy means nothing because the Blues choked in the playoffs. Larry Pleau is a complacent General Manager. This team needs more scoring and it's all because they did not re-sign Brett Hull a couple of years ago."

(College Basketball) "Lorenzo Romar is an unproven coach. He does not recruit local kids. Had Cincinnati's top player not gone down in the tournament, SLU would be toast. John Calaparri is now coaching Memphis, so there's another team the Bills won't beat"

So is the glass half full or half empty? Are the local greedy or justifiably skeptical?

Ah, St. Louis Sports fans-you got to love them!! You got to love their enthusiasm and their passion. These folks fork out their hard earned money to attend. You have earned the right to be negative, cautious and critical. Good for you. Keep that passion burning.

But one request though: please take a long deep breath and before you pick up that phone Tuesday or Thursday night and dial (314) 454-0400 to rant about Kurt Warner's contract.

Kindly remember the words written by Joni Mitchell: "don't it always seems to go, that you don't know what you've got till it's gone".

Then give a call or log on to the sports crowd in Boston, or Chicago, or Philadelphia, or San Francisco or Cleveland or Detroit. See if they would like to change places with you. You'd probably get many takers.

To you loyal St. Louis Sports Fans, you should be have the time of your life. Before you stick another pin in that Tony La Russa or Larry Pleau doll, remember: Enjoy this ride.

Because as Seals and Crofts may have said it best:

"We may never pass this way again".