Vini, Vidi, Yadi

The Cardinal fans version of "shock and awe"...


Yadier Molina? This is why I am a baseball guy. The first chill of winter, the smell of crispness in the air. The aisles of Walgreens being decked with bite size candies everywhere, the ever present change in the season that results in some of the best displays of color that mother nature can deliver and will ultimately end up in my gutter. The frontyards with the blown up Frankensteins or ghouls with the tombstones dedicated to no one that lie in jest catch my attention as a speed by. Man, I can feel, smell and taste the caramel Granny Smith apples that will soon be dropped into trick or treat sacks across the city. Yadier Molina? If you are a Cardinal fan, you have to truly be happy for this kid. His name goes right next to heroes of October named Mazeroski, Gibson, Lolich, Carbo, Fisk, Jackson, Morris, Puckett, Cesar Cedeno, Will Clark etc. Yadier Molina? Can't hit a lick but has a rocket for an arm. He has thrown out 44% of those unsuspecting guys who try to steal on him (that's a league high) and has picked off 14 saps on first base. I can out run him. That's not good. On the first pitch he saw from a Mets pitcher last night he became Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern rolled into one. It wasn't guys named Albert, Scott or Chris that lifted this team onto his shoulders, it was a guy named Yadier. That's why I am a baseball guy. In baseball, there no clock to watch, no coin flip to determine who gets the ball first, no overtime, just two teams slugging it out until one goes home a winner. I reminded of the George Carlin bit where he compares baseball with football. "In football, you go to the end zone and deal with blitzes, in baseball you go home and you sacrifice". "Clocks? we don't need no shtinking clocks!" As he launched his homerun into the night sky in the toughest city in America, I actually squealed like a little girl. Didn't care. How can you not be happy for Yadier Molina? Yadier friggin Molina? While listening to the broadcst last night, after he hit his Justice League home run, I was reminded of a Simon and Garfunkel song. Shea Stadium had indeed turned into "the Sounds of Silence". Yadier Molina! You da man.

The 30 Top Scary Movies of All Time

The fine folks at Stuff Magazine have put together a list of the top 30 scariest movies of all time. There could only be number one, it's obvious and not even open to discussion. From the first notes of that creepy ass song to the relentless way it hits you over the head minute after minute, it has no equal. It swore me off scary movies forever (or, at least until I saw Alien and when that creepy thing jumped out of that dude's chest, it was truly over for me).


For a Halloween treat enjoy this list made up by Hollywood insiders of the creepiest movies of all time. Can't argue with anyone of them here.

Happy 80th Chuck Berry

In rock and roll, it all starts and ends with him. He is the man. I interviewed Chuck in 1985 when the movie "Hail, Hail, Rock and Roll" was announced. I wish I had a way to attach audio here, I would then let you hear a guy so star struck he could hardly talk (that would be me). My picture with him was lost in the great flood in my basement (1992). He was and is an irascible old coot. I can remember a story told by a longtime St. louis musician (no names please)who said that Chuck would purposely untune his guitar and wouldn't care that it sounded like shit. Why should he? He's Chuck Berry and from what I hear, playing better than ever. He has a big gig tonight at the Duck Room at Blueberry Hill. (Duck room? Blueberry? Get it?) and of course the tickets have been gone for weeks, but there's always tomorrow night...oh wait, they're gone too. Happy Birthday to a St. Louis treasure and the guy who is the grandfather of rock and roll, just ask him, he will tell you all about it. 80 years old, Wow!
My Chuck Berry top ten:
1. Let It Rock
2. Sweet Little Sixteen
3. Wee Wee Hours
4. Maybelline
5. Reelin and Rockin
6. No Particular Place To Go
7. Brown Eyed Handsome Man
8. You Can't Catch Me
9. Johnny B. Goode
10.Little Queenie

RIP Johnnie Johnson

R. I. P. Christopher Glenn

I guess I am at the age where people that meant a lot to me in my career are starting to pass. Whether it's musicians that really spoke to me or people in my business that I wanted to emulate, most of them are older than me and so therefore are hitting the "autumn" of their life. I was saddened to hear about the death of Christopher Glenn. I wrote in an earlier post that it was a bummer to hear about his retirement and I wished him a long and happy time away from the biz. Unfortunately, he died of liver cancer yesterday. How many of us "boomers" listened to him tell us what was "In The News" in between Looney Tunes on Saturday morning. Even though I was older, I hung on every word and remember saying to myself that I wanted to sound like that. I never did. No one did.
Here's his obit from CBS news.
Thanks, Christopher from someone you never met.

A Post of Links...

The Top Ten List of The Worst Sports Announcers On Television. What? No Joe Theisman?




Inappropriate "FBombs". You Tube was invented for stuff like this...



Arizona blew a twenty point lead last night and lost to the Bears? Karma's a bitch, isn't it Bill Bidwill? Here are ten reasons to cheer up Cardinal fans.




Ten of the dumbest Congressmen (and woman) who proudly serve our country. Remember, we get what we pay for...

Automated Cashiers

I refuse to go through the automated checkouts at my favorite store. I don't have a problem with the service or anything but I feel if we use the automated check outs then why would the store keep real people? And really, if I hear "..please put your item in the bag" after I have put my item in the bag, then someone will get hurt. So, for the love of God people, let's not give Schnuck's another reason to fire anymore of their workers, wait the extra minute, be polite and smile knowing you've helped that checker keep their job. It's your duty.

Incredible Video

If I did this, you would be picking up tendons and hamstrings and muscle from the highway.
Incredible how limber some people can be.

Not A Good Sports Day

My Old High School Teams Won

Ava beat Cabool 62-25
East Moline beat Galesburg 28-20 (their first win of the season, just like old days)
Mizzou lost,
Iowa lost,
Notre Dame did not play.
Cardinals go 1-1.
Chiefs get killed,
Rams lose in a heartbreaker.
Bummer.
Better luck next week.