The Grapefruit League game began in Jupiter as the Tigers took the Georgia pitch. The Blues played under a microscope after an explosive criticism of the effort sparked by coach Craig Berube. Then it was time for Billiken’s basketball before, oh yes, the first-ever debut of St. Louis’ home MLS team in Austin.
Some quick-fire thoughts from our Hurricane Saturday at St. Louis Sports…
• I hope this worry ages badly, but to see fellow Blues extensions Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas shrug and make stiffly critical comments from Berube about her sloppy play since the sell-off began, and see Berubes more understandable Outbreak was followed by an overtime loss for a struggling Penguins team, I hope these guys don’t spend the rest of their lost season trying to fire Chief.
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A coach who challenges efforts and raises salaries can leave serious scar tissue if not dealt with quickly. The Blues looked a little more engaged on Saturday. Maybe that’s a good sign. Really too early to tell. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong fiercely defended Berube in early November. He didn’t sound so adamant when addressing that cloud of dust. Just for the record, Armstrong and Thomas tried to suggest that Alexei Toropchenko’s critical comments – which Berube agreed and poured petrol over – had something to do with the 23-year-old’s translation from Russian to English, which was bogus. His message came through loud and clear. And it hit a nerve.
• Here’s an example of not letting a disappointing season sap your energy and effort: Billikens guard Gibson Jimerson. He had only surpassed 20 points once this season when he entered the Billikens’ loss to VCU on February 3. Starting with this game, he has averaged 21.6 points in his last seven games, including his 21 in Saturday’s win over Loyola. The Billikens’ only hope of a March Madness performance depends on winning the A-10 tournament. Jimerson finding his stroke makes it possible.
• Unsolicited advice for both Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras and STL media members: Let’s let the Cubs talk for a while. Contreras delivered another not-so-subtle swipe at his former club-turned-rivals during an interview televised during Saturday’s Grapefruit League launch. “For me, I like that better,” Contreras said of the Cardinals. “It’s a better organization. Old school stuff that I love.” Cardinals fans must love that Contreras is with the Cardinals, but this time it’s about the Cardinals, not the Cubs. Let’s turn the page.
• I have described Dennis Gates’ Mizzou team as a team that can beat any team by seeing their first 3-point misses and one that can lose to any team by seeing their first 3-point misses. failing sees. Especially on the street. Well, the Tigers flipped that script on Saturday. They missed their first six 3-pointers against Georgia and then made 14 of their next 22 in a 22-point smack. Impressive considering top scorer Kobe Brown was ill and absent from the game. Don’t be surprised if the Tigers enter the SEC tournament with 22 wins and a four-game winning streak. LSU and Ole Miss played Saturday. They are Mizzou’s last two regular-season opponents. By the start of Saturday’s game, the pair had racked up three wins since early January.
• The SEC Basketball Coach of the Year was up for discussion as Mizzou put the screws on Georgia. Alabama’s Nate Oats shouldn’t be considered anymore. Wait, didn’t I just put Oats in a Coach of the Year column? I did, but that was before we got the latest details on the information he was withholding regarding star player Brandon Miller’s proximity to the arrest of a former Alabama player on capital homicide charges. As it turns out, Oats wasn’t so much navigating his team through a crisis as he was helping keep some uncomfortable information private. Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams was to lead the race. Mizzou’s Gates should be in second place.
• A reminder for Cardinals fans: Paul DeJong will get a lot of attacks during spring training. Yelling about his presence in the lineup will only raise your blood pressure. The games don’t count yet. If he’s in the lineup and he doesn’t score when the games count, we can all holler together. Act? Well I tried.
• The pitch clock is good. The players adapt. The shattering feeling of seeing the clock will fade. The Nationals’ 3-2 exhibition win over the Cardinals on Saturday was completed in less than two and a half hours. Crisp.
• Game of the Day: This game goes to 33-year-old Cardinals infielder Taylor Motter, who makes an Arenado-like grab for a foul ball on the third baseline in deep foul territory at Roger Dean Stadium. Nice early impression made by the non-roster invite.
• Game of the Day, Not-So-Positive Output: I didn’t expect Mizzou Baseball to make this list, but you know Mizzou football coach Eli Drinkwitz turned his stomach when Tigers pitcher and quarterback candidate Sam Horn came up with any on Saturday Kind of removed from the hill was elbow problem. Stay tuned.
• Umpire CB Bucknor is an absolute embarrassment to Major League Baseball and umpires, and the fact that he’s allowed to continue his bigger-than-the-game mentality is exactly why more and more people want to see umpires’ impact on games reduced to next to nothing. New season. new beginning. Cardinals manager Oli Marmol is trying to bury last season’s hatchet and Bucknor is making it big for all to see. It’s going to be a tough year for umpires as they enforce the pitch clock and other new rules. Why someone who thinks they’re bigger than the game would be allowed to continue making a tough job even harder for their peers is puzzling.
• How cool would it be to score a team’s first ever goal? Congratulations, Tim Parker.
Sports columnists Ben Frederickson and Jeff Gordon discuss the pros and cons of a whopping 19 Cardinals — 13 from the 40-man roster — taking part in the international tournament during spring training.
ben frederickson,
jeff gordon,
Gary Hairson
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