Category: Sports

Rumor has it that the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team will leave the radio station that has broadcast them for over 50 years to purchase, yes, purchase, the other leading AM talk station in the area:

The Cardinals’ contract with KMOX (1120 AM) expires after this season, and team officials have talked with KTRS (550 AM) owners about buying that station and moving the broadcasts there.

It’s good to see that the impoverished Cardinals, who couldn’t build their new baseball stadium without tapping government funds, have enough money in reserve to buy and run a baseball station while fielding a competitive team. I’m also looking forward to public/private “partnerships” in the future to build transmission towers and buy outrageously-painted vehicles with the call letters on the side. Memo: Please just change your name and mascot now to the St. Louis Crony Capitalists. The corporate fans for whom you’re building new boxes and clubs into the new stadium at the expense of inexpensive seats for families will enjoy the joke.

Here’s my bet: they will buy the other radio station. How am I sure? Because in every instance where the new MBAs running professional sports organizations must choose between tradition and business-school pabulum like:

If the Cardinals bought KTRS, the team would sell its own advertising as opposed to receiving a traditional rights fee. The Cards then could incorporate the broadcasts into a consolidated marketing plan that includes opening their new stadium next season, and placing their top two minor-league affiliates within a four-hour-or-less drive of St. Louis.

Building the brand through a consolidated marketing plan by putting the broadcasts on a small radio station that most Cardinals fans cannot hear? The MBAs love it!

And when the fans in Iowa, Kansas, Tennessee, and Indiana can’t get the broadcast on KMOX, don’t spend money for satellite radio, and eventually stop making the pilgrimage to Busch stadium, the MBAs won’t understand how the loss of tradition in a longstanding sport franchise ultimately hurts more than it makes hip.

The Milwaukee Admirals lost to the Manitoba Moose last night. The Moose backstopper Wade Flaherty won the MVP of the Calder Cup playoffs last year when he led the Milwaukee Admirals to the championship. And the Admirals had their backup goalie in, so essentially it was last year’s number one Admirals goalie against the number three Admirals goalie. What would you expect?

However, in accordance with the rules of the Hockey Whoopass Jamboree, I must post the winning team’s logo:

As well as a link to Your Moosey Fate, who had the foresight to pick the Moose in the jamboree.

Apparently, the Canadians are still blaming us for the lost NHL season, for they’ve decided not to let the United States protect them from nuclear missiles:

Prime Minister Paul Martin said Thursday that Canada would not join the contentious U.S. missile defense program, a decision that will further strain brittle relations between the neighbors but please Canadians who fear it could lead to an international arms race.

You know, Canada, you’d need to show some spine to warrant enemies who would attack. You’re safe.

World’s Longest Hockey Game; after 6 days and 2 hours, the score is 1295 to 1159.

It’s a charitable event for cancer research, so click on over and donate if you’re amused. Also check out the media clips.

(Link seen on Hockey Pundits.)

Given the National Hockey League problems, perhaps the writer could have phrased this differently in the story recapping the Milwaukee Admirals thrilling overtime game win over the Houston Aeros:

In the four-on-four overtime session, it didn’t take long for the Admirals to strike.

Courtesy of Vodkapundit:

The last time the NHL failed to award Lord Stanley’s Cup, it was due to a global flu epidemic that killed 20 million people. This time, millionaire owners and millionaire players can’t agree on a few contractural issue.

Listen, fellows, you won’t miss hockey if you go to Sports Juice, which carries Internet streams of many AHL hockey games, including those from the Milwaukee Admirals and the Worcester Ice Cats.

Because it amalgamates the streams from their sources, you get an interesting hodgepodge. For example, a Christian music station carries the Milwaukee Admirals, so you get the commercials and promos you would expect on a Christian station. The stream for the Worcester IceCats (formerly the farm team of the St. Louis Blues before the NHL collapsed) carries the live feed from the mics on the commentators instead of the radio feed, so you get to hear what the commentators say to each other during the breaks.

For example, tonight the commentator expressed belief that you would think the Missouri River Otters would be doing better than they are because of the players they have after reporting the signing of the former Blues defenseman Barret Jackman.

You know, we should cross the river to see a UHL game before the season is over….

Internet Hockey Database, featuring the best compendium of stats anywhere.

(Link seen on Hockey Pundits.)

I’ve spent the season following the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (the AAA league, so to speak), and I don’t want to have to switch gears and root against these fellows when they’re called up to the National Hockey League as Nashville Predators, division rivals of the St. Louis Blues.

As bound by the terms of my participation in the Hockey Whoopass Jamboree, I must post the

logo because the Houston Aeros defeated the Milwaukee Admirals for the second time this season last night.

Worse, the Admirals have fallen to second in their division to a team from Chicago. Come on, a team from Chicago. Chicago sports teams should only be in first when they’re alone in a division, for crying out loud. The Chicago division, specially created so the rest of the country can escape their giant Charybdis, mythical-class sucking.

Apparently not some members of the St. Louis Blues, who are keeping themselves sharp during the NHL lockout by playing on a local recreational league.

It’s probably doing more to promote the sport than most NHL owners have done, combined, in the last couple of decades.

Belatedly, I have to admit that the Manitoba Moose beat the Milwaukee Admirals on Saturday, right after I talked smack. Here’s the story: Manitoba’s Kesler beats the clock, Admirals.

The Admirals got revenge on Sunday, though: Admirals hold off Moose.

Chris Lawrence pointed out that the New York Giants will start Manning instead of Warner beginning this weekend.

Hopefully, now the local Fox affiliate will stop playing New York Giants games when they conflict with important Packer games.

Well, I guess the Milwaukee Admirals, my hometown AHL hockey team, had to lose sometime. As required by the rules of the Hockey Whoopass Jamboree, as this fellow feels that the Houston Aeros are a worthy team even though they come from a place where the snow doesn’t shine and as the Milwaukee Admirals have lost to said Houston Aeros 5-2, I must post the team’s logo here:

Story: Aeros shut down Admirals’ streak: Houston ends regulation run.

That’s what the headline will be on Monday if this story is any indicator: ‘Warner Factor’ influences KTVI:

KTVI now is dedicated to Kurt Warner.

Channel 2, the local Fox network affiliate, was hit with a barrage of complaints and significantly lower ratings two weekends ago when it switched from the lopsided New York Giants-Minnesota NFL game to the much closer Detroit-Dallas contest.

“It’s the Warner factor,” KTVI general manager Spencer Koch said, referring to the presence of former Rams standout and fan favorite Kurt Warner as the Giants’ starting quarterback. “We learned our lesson. We’re now a ‘dedicated market’ for the Giants.”

They’re planning to pre-empt the Packers/Vikings game this weekend for the Arizona/NY Giants game. Don’t they know this means open rebellion? And we’ll have an open Sunday to plan it!

While I was in Milwaukee this weekend, the Milwaukee Wave indoor soccer team lost their home opener on Friday night to the Chicago Storm.

But apparently there’s more to the story. Because check out this account of the Milwaukee Admirals hockey game that took place the very same night:

Wave goaltender Brian Finley played the entire game and turned away 31 shots by the Grizzlies. Utah goaltender faced 22 shots and made 21 saves.

No wonder the Wave were challenged; their goalie was playing hockey in Utah instead of playing soccer in Milwaukee!

I caught the Admiral game in Milwaukee on Saturday night and have to say that the kid handles skates, pads, and pucks pretty well. I wonder how he does on the turf.

Do you think this would be a good cover letter to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel with my resume and a value proposition that, as a junior sports writer, at least I can tell the sports and the teams that play them apart?