Brett Hull, Tony La Russa, and Mark McGwire are three of the most significant sports personalities to call, or have called, St. Louis home, in the latter portion of the 20th century.

All three continue to generate massive electronic and print media coverage...an appropriate level of coverage, due to the on-ice and on-field exploits of Hull and McGwire, and La Russa's brand of managerial leadership.

But with that coverage comes controversy...especially when the aroma of a losing team is in the neighborhood.

Hull, for example, despite his record-setting goal scoring prowess, was a particularly polarizing figure, in the eyes of fans and media.

Even after he signed a free-agent contract with Dallas, it was often difficult to find hockey-related articles in the Post-Dispatch that didn't mention Brett Hull by name. And the references to Hull nearly always cast him in a positive light...while the hockey team he left behind was said to be suffering mightily in his absence.

That fact pleased some folks, and irritated others...including several media types who discerned a significant lack of balance in the Blues-related hockey coverage contained within St. Louis' only daily newspaper.

Recently, we asked KMOX sportscaster Randy Karraker if recent local media coverage of Brett Hull has been fair.

Click here to read Karraker's measured response.

Similarly, the lack of team success that has plagued the St. Louis Cardinals during the '97, '98, and '99 seasons has caused some believe that not enought is written and/or said that is critical of the Redbirds' manager, Tony La Russa.

We asked Karraker to expound on his view of La Russa's media coverage in St. Louis...and in particular, if the Redbirds' manager went out of his way to curry favor with those that cover the Cardinals.

Click here to read another of Karraker's views.

It is an accurate statement to suggest that Mark McGwire views the media that surround him on a daily basis as, to say the least, overzealous.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch baseball writer Mike Eisenbath, along with fellow sportswriters Rick Hummel and Bernie Miklasz, has as much Mac-access as anyone who covers the team on a daily basis.

Click here to read Eisenbath's opinions concerning Mark McGwire's view of the media and his media exposure.

And don't forget that the audio from which these quotes were extracted can be accessed by clicking here.