(Get) A Sporting Life

In a generally enjoyable column, Bill McClellan compares our upcoming football stadium troubles to a series of bad marriages . In his analogy, the Football Cardinals were our town's first wife who asked for a new stadium, and left us for Phoenix because we wouldn't give it to her: Big Red was our first wife, and we were a good couple. She wasn't very flashy. In fact, she didn't win a single playoff game in our 27 years of marriage, but then again, we weren't exactly a matinee idol ourself. Nobody was confusing us with San Francisco or New York. We were just a pair of sensible shoes, Big Red and us. She got tired of playing football in a baseball stadium. She wanted her own place. That really wasn't so much to ask after 27 years, was it? But we wouldn't go along with her plan, and she threatened to leave us, and that really set us off. We both said things we shouldn't have. Finally, she left us for Phoenix. The only trouble is, this description leaves ou...

According to Mike Martz, San Francisco 49er's wide receiver Isaac Bruce is as fast as he's ever been : "Most receivers do lose a step at 36 (which Bruce will turn in November)," Martz said, "but I haven't seen that with him. Isaac has always been an exception. If he's lost a step, I don't see it. He's like Jerry Rice; he's always kept himself in impeccable shape." Caveat #1: I love Ike. If not for his late-game heroics, this long-suffering former St. Louis Cardinals fan might never have seen a Super Bowl victory in his lifetime. As it stands, my team, the St. Louis Rams, won the big one, and they can't take that away from me (although given their recent play, they sure seem to be trying hard to do so). Caveat #2: I'm a big Torry Holt fan as well. Heck, I even get nostalgic for Az "slippy fingers" Hakim. Caveat #3: Isaac Bruce should be a hall-of-famer, and I wish him well in all but two games of the upcoming sea...

So you're worried about Georgia's kids selling your St. Louis Rams to owners who will hold the city hostage for a sweetheart new stadium deal, or a sweetheart new stadium, or move the team to parts unknown? You say you can't go through the heartbreak, not to mention the humiliation, of losing another NFL franchise? Well, don't you worry your pretty little head about it. Let Uncle Bernie make it all better : — OK, so what are Chip and Lucia looking for in a potential owner? Answer: They would like a St. Louis-based buyer to emerge. They want someone who cares deeply about this community, someone who can network the politicians and the corporate bosses, navigate through stadium issues and keep the franchise in St. Louis. . . . Chip Rosenbloom will try his best to find that happy ending. He'll try to do it to honor the memory of his mother and father, and he'll try to do it for the St. Louis fans. But sooner or later, Chip and Lucia will also have to take care o...

As I was watching the end of the Blues game last night, wondering if I should enjoy the victory (which is preferable: a meaningless two points or a better chance in the lottery?), one of the Blues ubiquitous “Bluenote” code commercials came on. You know the ones—the commercials where members of the team talk about “good being the enemy of great,” and saying the code means doing “whatever it takes.” When the season started, we didn’t know that “it” included having one of the worst power plays in the league. We also didn’t realize until later that while “good” might be the enemy of “great,” it is still damn close friends with “mediocre.” Why were these commercials still running at this point in the year? What could they be generating for the team: increased revenue and greater ticket sales, or increased sarcasm and reduced credibility? It seems the big three sports teams in St. Louis put all of their advertising eggs into one single campaign, and stick with it regardless of a team’...

It's a three year deal , but the last couple of years of most NFL contracts are like selfless politicians--rarely glimpsed and mostly theoretical. Even with that, this makes little sense to me. You won’t pay Isaac Bruce a 2 million dollar roster bonus, because you feel that’s too much for an aging #2/#3 receiver. Fair enough. But then you turn around and give a 4 million dollar guarantee to a 38 year old quarterback who’s suffered two concussions in the last 13 months? What, was Troy Aikman unwilling to leave the broadcast booth? This signing, at this price, says Marc Bulger is our quarterback, but only kinda. Maybe you believe he needs to be pushed, to play with a little fear of losing his job (ala Bernie Miklasz), so you bring in a quarterback whose had a lot of success with the new OC (you can hear the locker room chants now: “Coordinator’s Pet, Coordinator’s Pet”). Or maybe you are worried about Bulger’s durability, and anticipate him missing significant playing time. ...

This only reminds me of how far we've come from the glory days, brief though they were. The Reverend Ike's been cut : With a $2 million roster bonus due on Friday, Bruce apparently declined to accept a pay cut proposed by the club, leading to his release. Bruce, 35, was due $5 million overall — $3 million in the form of base salary for ’08, plus the $2 million roster bonus. The Rams offered 3 million apparently, and Ike turned them down. Does he think he'll fare better on the market, or did he think the roster bonus was deservedly his for years of loyal service? I can understand the calculus here. Bruce isn't really a one or two receiver anymore, and given the Rams other deficiencies (glaring is not a strong enough adjective here), can they afford five million a year for a number 3 who's on the downside of his career? Still, this makes me nostalgic for the greatest show on turf, and the reverend streaking down the sideline against the Titans in the Super Bowl. ...