With Maclin’s speed, ability to catch the ball and also return kicks, yes indeed it would be nice to see him in a Ram’s uniform.

And while we’re wishing let’s throw in Chase Kaufman also!

With a little bit of creativity maybe Billy Devaney could make it happen.

answer to your second bonus question, Bernie is THE UNIVERSITY of IOWA-with its prestigous Writer’s Workshop and oldest school of journalism West of the Mississippi!! Go Hawkeyes!!
i admit i was wrong on the final score and winner of the Alamo Bowl and i am happy that Mizzou won. however, i think that Northwestern was a much better team than most fans thought they would be. their running back showed up and performed(with one arm!). Peterman is one heck of a pass catcher and hardnosed kid…reminds me of the Proehl, Looker, and NE pass catcher!! and Pat Fitzgerald is one heckuva coach…how about his demeanor, enthusiasm, and leadership on the side-lines?
Maclin has been a very real joy to watch these past two years…i agree that he is wasting his time on the collegiate level…and he is a bright kid; articulate young man, and positive football player. as much as the Rams need offensive line and defensive players, viz. linebackers and secondary, Maclin is far better than anyone they currently have at wide receiver/punt returner/kick-off returner ect…i say sign him-he’s an athlete and community minded youngster. and give some consideration to Witherspoon as someone with speed, quickness, agility, hands, somewhere in the linebacker or secondary…the kid comes to play…
the Northwestern running back is the kind of college player that lots of pro teams overlook…did you see his expression at the end of the first half…after Maclin’s “explosion” for a shock-and-awe TD, the Cats handed the ball off to the kid and he ran hard…as time expired on the clock the camera focused on him and you could see the determination and fire in the kid’s eyes…ya, he’s had a history of injuries…any good running back would if they had played behind some of the Offensive Linemen Northwestern has fielded the previous 3 years and playing in the Big Ten…that kid has a big heart, too…
i wish Wyoming luck with their new Head Coach! but a word to the wise, don’t let him do any playcalling!!!
and Bernie, i think your thought about last year giving Daniels the “big ego” is on target…i don’t see much humility in the kid and unlike the commentators, his upside in the NFL isn’t so great!! but thanks for a good 2 years, Chase of winning football at Mizzou!!

Joe Strauss is right….Missouri has only two legit wins over the past two years and both were in the 2007 season…over KU and Illinois. The Tigers did not beat one ranked team this year and mu fans are STILL waiting for its first BCS bowl appearence. AS much as they like to trumpet their success…mu still has not won a Big 12 North title outright.

Over the past two years, mu is 3-5 vs. teams in the Big 12 South and against all big-12 teams, mu is 12-6. ruth is mu has been no better than KU, a school they love to criticize. KU’s record over the same time period is 3-3 vs.Big 12 South foes and 11-5 vs. all Big 12 opponents… both better percentages than the tigers. And to top it off, the Jayhawks have been to a BCS Bowl…and won.

The tigers have had great, great players (Macklin, Coffman, Witherspoon) but these last two tiger teams will always be burdened with the label of “underacheivers.”

Yes, very nice that Mizzou got 10 wins. I didn’t think I would ever see that happen, all the moreso, two years in a row. Neverthleless, the schedule is watered down, and they play at least 2 more games than they did even 10 or so years ago, so like with many statistics, it is not apples to apples, but to oranges. Frankly, I am tired of the schedule, and I would like to see Mizzou add a game with anyone from a BCS conference. I don’t care if it is Vandy, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi St., just anyone is better than SEMO, Buffalo, Nevada, etc…

Statistics in general cannot be compared anymore to older ones. I saw where the Blues announcers were comparing the Sharks start to the Canadians of many years ago. The difference is the Canadians had to get their points with no overtime, no shootout etc…Heck in the NHL, 80% of the teams finish with a .500 record or better so everything needs to be put in context.

You must have been jettisoning that warmed grey goose during Northwestern’s possessions, Bernie. You don’t mention Sean Weatherspoon’s MVP performance that saved Pinkel’s, Daniel’s, and the Mizzou nation’s pride. I also wouldn’t dissuade him, like Maclin, from going early to the NFL. And after his performance last night, he must have jumped at least one round.

Bernie, the St. Louis Browns Fan Club is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and will be honoring the sole surviving member of the 1944 Pennant winning team at a luncheon on April 28 - Babe Martin. The Browns were “the team” during the first quarter of the previous century turning that role over to our Cardinals in the mid to late 20s. Information on the luncheon will be on the Browns blog site soon at http://thestlBrowns.blogspot.com.

Bill

itchie:

I hate to break this to you, but Nevada and Buffalo are going to bowl games. Both have better records than any of the teams on your list. I believe Buffalo won the MAC title game.

Finally–this season of reading and listening about how great Missouri is finally has ended. They tied Northwestern–the 4th best team in a very weak Big 10 conference. The Big 12 North is about on par with the lower 9 teams in the Big 10. Missouri would not have beaten PSU or OSU, but could have played with MSU and NW. No more, no less.
Can’t wait for the Texas homecoming game at Columbia in 2009! What genius scheduled that fiasco instead of SEMO?

Bernie

Please dont give the Rams any crazy ideas. Maclin as a top ten draft choice although a Novel Idea wont work for the rams. If we dont rebuild the offensive line, deffensive line, deffensive secondary way before Maclin then we might as well jsut pack the team up and send them onward. Jeremy Maclin wont cure what ailes the Rams.

Journalism school: Saint Louis University!

Free Avis Meyer (my old journalism professor and former P-D copy editor)!

Hey, badgerboy, you must be ever so proud of Wisconsin, huh? You might be sick of hearing about Mizzou, but they could beat the snot out of your team. Itchie, Buffalo could probably beat Indiana by 30+, and Vandy by 20+. Nevada would probably knock Indiana into next year. And cornhead, you must be smoking something funny. The University of Iowa journalism school was founded in 1924, SIXTEEN years after Mizzou’s (source: University of Iowa website). Iowa State established a journalism program in 1905, but it didn’t become a fully-fledged school until later. I fail to see how U of I could have the oldest journalism school west of the Mississipi. Last I checked, Mizzou was about 120 miles west of the river.

Bernie, great article and extra points as usual… Typing here from snowy and cold Durango, CO. Where do you think Maclin will go in the draft? How about Coffman? I would love to see him too, but probably not top on the priority list. Have you heard anything about Illinois’ Aurelious Benn leaving early as well? He’s a big, physical, gifted wide receiver.

Correction: IOWA has a better record than Buffalo or Nevada, but the other three schools named by itchie have worse records (in the case of Mississippi State and Indiana, significantly worse) than those two schools. Vanderbilt closed with a hush at 6-6.

Mizzou has the oldest School of Journalism in the world. This negates the claim that Iowa has the oldest school of journalism west of the Mississippi. And the SLU joke made me laugh.

To the matter at hand: Good win for the Tigers. Any win is a good win, and every team has its struggles. Bottom line, no matter what that simpleton Joe Strauss says, is that the Tigers have averaged 10 wins over the past three seasons, and they schedule just like 99% of all other BCS schools out there. Yet, somehow, the list of programs that has averaged 10 wins over three years is rather short. You can’t ignore that.

The Tigers are good, and the fact that it gets Big Ten fans and other St. Louis haters all worked up only proves that point. Mizzou is 2-0 vs. the Big Ten this season, and has a nice streak going vs. the Illini. I’ll take it.

Bernie, right on about Fontella Bass. It will always have life. The orchestal composition is outstanding. But leaving out Chuck Berry? Ouch.

Somebody please put the stats together for all of Chase Daniels fumbles/INT’s during this years losses and the bowl game!!! The guy is not good, and his ego is horrible. Any big game he has played in he has completely choked. Mizzou is an average program right now that can not get over the hump. The Big 12 North is nothing compared to the South….Captain Obvious! And on top of it Mizzou coaching has been horrible. Having a top 5 team and averaging huge points going into the OK State game and not going for it from the 1 yard line on 4th down on the opening drive. Shows real confidence in your team/offense. Setting up rediculous PeeWee plays on crucial drives during the KU game when you needed to make plays and move the football (5 yard splits in offense line). The spread offense is fun and exciting, but you have to be able to run the ball too in college football. OU dominated Mizzou with the run and exposed the holes in the secondary after establishing the fact they could trample over Mizzou. I was in live attendance at the OSU, KU and OU games this year (and no I’m not a Mizzou fan, just a fan of college football) and I saw the same story breakdowns in each BIG game.

Bernie, I think we all agree that newspapers are a dying industry. At least in the form we’re used to holding in our hands. So, no matter where you enter journalism school, what do you do with your degree? Where do you see journalism heading? Is it still worth being a stand alone degree? As an old newspaperman I realize that sometimes progress hurts.

Mizzou underachieved this season, simply put. They won the games that any mediocre Big 12 team should win, and lost the games that any mediocre Big 12 team would likely lose. Hence, they are a mediocre team. As everyone has already stated, the tests for this program run through Norman, OK and Austin, TX. Until this team can play on par with Texas and OU, let’s keep the expectations closer to reality from here on out. This season KU, OK State and Texas Tech all proved themselves to be superior within the conference leaving Mizzou in the middle of the pack. No better, no worse.

Until Mizzou disavows Jeff Gordon, I’m going with Northwestern.

One, some people here are getting a little carried away in their criticism. The 2007 team did not underachieve. They lost a tough game in Norman and then came up short in the Big 12 title game, but 12-2 was a great season. And the Arkansas win was against a legit team, too, for anyone who forgets watching the Razorbacks beat LSU in Baton Rouge. (Although losing their coach before the Cotton Bowl must have been a huge disruption.)

Two, I wonder if there is any college player whose draft stock has fallen farther than Chase Daniel’s this season. Not that he was the prototype NFL quarterback to start with. But from where he stood entering the OSU game to where he sits now . . . has to be a long tumble.

Three, yeah, this season was disappointing. No way to spin it. Glad the Tigers eked it out last night. I would have been very happy for Wolfert to win it and end his brilliant career that way. I agree with you, Bernie, and thought the same thing at the time – Mizzou’s end of regulation clock management and play selection was terrible.

OK, one other thought. Sorry to be so long. Every team likes to take the ball second in OT. But when Mizzou scored the TD, knowing they had that as a foundation gave the defense a chance to gamble. That Moore and Weatherspoon blitz on third down was devastating.

Is it possible that the O-line wasn’t as good as we thought 6 games ago? Did the coaches know that and put Daniel between a rock and a hard place? For two years we have watched MU ignore the running game in crucial situations. handing the ball to maclin in motion is technically a run play but the base running game disappeared in crunch time. I don’t know how many times I caught myself yelling that they need to get physical and run the ball with power. The MU linemen could have worn out the Nw D-lineman but MU chose to go one dimensional. So much so that Jack Arute heard the DC of NW say they weren’t patient enough to run down 3 points with 10 minutes to go! And how hard is it to know it’s a pass when there isn’t even a running back in the backfield. Slaten says it best “one coach is dumber than the next”.

Bernie, some of the Tigers play calling this season has been questionable to say the least. Pinkel seems to have fallen in love with the pass. When he runs the ball it looks as if they have never practiced a running play! I think the lack of a running game made Daniel’s feel like he had to make a play via the pass for them to be successful. Maybe that is why he made some bad decisions throwing the ball.

Bernie, the more I read your blogs, the more I agree with you…I think I may be alone in that tho.LOL Some Mizzou fans have gotten a little spoiled from last year and are expecting a bit too much, too soon. I’ll grant you this team underachieved this year, but pulling out a 10 win season is still an accomplishment. Let’s not forget it wasn’t all that long ago that Mizzou normally equated to “Who?” throughout the country. Love him or hate him, Coach Pinkel,(a fellow Kent State alum), has this team on the right track.

I agree with your assessment on the Cards farm system, let’s see some of these kids flourish at the major league level and then we can talk. Guys like Rasmus need to become more than potential, but producers.

Ive been a cardinal and rams fan forever and have seen the best and worst of st. louis football. remember dallas and bob hayes ? i just saw the fastest man on earth on t.v. and i thought why not. this man is tall and very fast, let tory holt mentor this man and with his speed he could change this football team now. it doesnt hurt to look beyond our nose and maybe tory would want to stay and mentor this man. just remember how bob hayes changed the game and this speedster could do the same,

Cornhead: Missouri’s journalism school is the oldest west of the Mississippi, not Iowa’s. It’s also the oldest on either side of the Mississippi. They even teach fact-checking there.

I had the same thought about the endo of the 4th quarter as Bernie stated. Try to gain some yards to increase the likelihood of a successful field goal. Any field goal attempt of more than 40 yards has a significant chance of failure. It seemed like Pinkel was paranoid about a possible fumble.

First as a season ticket holder and as a supporter I am pleased and relieved that the tigers won last night. What rings in my ears are Pinkels comments at the half.”lack of focus” Also the comments of the announcers in the second half after the Gettis failure “mental error after mental error”. I am sorry but this was exhibited repeatedly this year. I am glad that CD is getting out with a win and the annoucers were being cautiously critical because he is a student athlete. I look forward to 2009 with lower expectations and a desire to seedifferent athletes. Thanks to the 23 seniors who are all graduating and to the underclassmen who made the last couple of years memorable.

I agree with all of your points today, especially #2 and 5. On 2, I made almost the exact comment to my son. On #5, I also wonder why all of the good(I won’t say great)prospects are not given a real chance to make the major league roster.

Alright people, if you want to defend the schedule go right ahead. If you think going to bowl games some how legitimizes Buffalo and Nevada as major programs, go ahead and fool yourself. Moreover, if Pinkel/Alden had realized they would be as good as they were, they would have tried to get out of playing those guys as well. It was an incredibly boring non-conference schedule. I always hated the Bill Snyder way of doing things with watered down scheduling and was always critical of it, and Mizzou now does the same thing. You can have your Nevadas and Buffalos, I would rather play teams from big conferences, the Mississippi series a few years ago was an excellent one. If you are satisfied playing the Nevadas, SEMOs and Buffalos of the world, then so be it. However, it is not good enough for me. In the 70’s, Mizzou knocked off Alabama, USC in Los Angeles, Ohio State in Columbus, Notre Dame in South Bend. Now we would not dare schedule these games. But I guess many of you would rather see the San Jose States and Eastern Michigans of the world.

Good grief, someone said Iowa!

Itchie, no one argued that Mizzou should not play a tougher schedule. However, the only team you mentioned in your original post that could beat either Nevada or Buffalo was Iowa. Indiana, Vandy, and Mississipi State would actually have been a decrease in strength of schedule from Nevada and Buffalo. Would I like to see the Tigers play a couple of quality teams? Sure I would, but just because a team is from a BCS conference doesn’t make it good.

Oh, J-School … Mizzou…

Thank God that Mizzou put aside the KU debacle and finally started blitzing again…and especially on the second to last play of the game.
Can anyone explain the downturn in defense this season when all but one of the starters was back. Did Lorenzo make that much difference?
I think Daniels felt the pressure of knowing that when playing good teams the offense must score every possession as the defense couldn’t due their part.

Coffman, Maclin, Daniel, Weatherspoon. I just wanted to post their names one more time, mainly for nostalgia, but also to make sure at least one post in cyberspace had all of their names spelled correctly.

Itchie, it’s not Mizzou’s fault that Illinois turned out to be an even greater disappointment than the Tigers this year.

Prior to the start of the CFB season, the MU - Illini game was ranked by College Football News as the second biggest non-conference matchup of the 2008 season. As an MU football season ticketholder since 1979 I can certainly agree that our scheduling practices have changed decidedly from my early days when we used to line up against Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State. However those were also the days when we only had to contend with only one or two really strong conference opponents such as OU and Nebraska. With the limitation on scholarships, more schools are competitive. This year the Tigers played six bowl-bound schools, four of which came from within our own conference. Even making allowances for the sizeable increase to the number of bowls, there were very few years when the Tigers were playing nearly that many good teams in one season.

I think there’s other issues to consider as well such as the complex nature of scheduling agreements among schools. A number of big time programs have pretty stout demands to schedule any type of home-and-home arrangement and a lot of those arrangements are front-loaded to the advantage of the big-time schools. Back when I was a student at MU (1986-1990) I recall hearing some scuttlebutt about a failed attempt in the early 80’s to schedule Michigan, but the Wolverines were apparently insistent upon a five year deal with the first four games in Ann Arbor and the right to cancel the fifth year. Yes, Mizzou did book Iowa and UCLA for home-and-home series during the past decade, and yes, Mizzou did pull out of both of those arrangements, subbing in Western Michigan and Arkansas State instead. When those games were scheduled the Tigers were just pulling out of the funk of the 14 year “dark ages” period between bowl appearances. MU was coming off of a home-and-home with Ohio State and still had one more game with Clemson to finish off when they decided to pull the plug on UCLA. They also had a quick, two-year series with Michigan State still on the books at that time, so it wasn’t as if they were combing the basement of the MAC, Sun Belt and FCS for all of their non-conference tilts. This was also during a time when MU only had 3 n/c vacancies per year.

Fast forwarding to the present, I think the conference schedule provides the Tigers with enough opportunities to play highly-ranked opponents without having to bring more in from the outside. If the Tigers are able to establish themselves firmly as a perennial legitimate division title contender (with a rehabbed Nebraska, Colorado and perhaps even K State in the division), and can beat the better Big XII South teams with regularity, then I think they can start thinking about seriously beefing up the n/c schedule beyond the annual game with an apparently mercurial Illini squad.

Changing subjects - re: the NU/MU journalism rivalry. Was it just me or were some of the ESPN studio personnel showing subtle loyalties to their alma maters via their choice in neckwear and pocket squares? I noticed a few ties and pocket squares in various shades of gold and violet during a few network broadcasts over the last couple of days (including SportsCenter). I will admit that I am not up on the host’s educational pedigrees other than John Anderson’s status as an MU alum. Can anyone vouch for whether I was simply reading too much into what I saw?

Final thought - I read on the San Antonio newspaper’s website that the Alamo Bowl is pushing for a higher position on the bowl pecking order for both the Big XII and the Big 10. This will be the final year that the Gator Bowl takes a Big XII team under its current contract. That will leave the conference with only one New Year’s consolation bowl slot - the Cotton. I have to wonder whether the Alamo Bowl will jockey for a January 1 date and try to leapfrog the Holiday Bowl for the 2nd position on the non-BCS slate of games.

Look, I am a Mizzou fan. I am sorry, but their non-conference schedule in Columbia this year was horrendously booooooring. I would be more psyched about a Mizzou-Indiana or a Mizzou-Vandy or a Mizzou-Iowa game than Mizzou-SEMO, and yes folks, even more than Mizzou vs. the powerful Nevada or Buffalo teams. Watching football is supposed to be fun, and frankly, playing the teams we played does not make me want to travel to 125 miles to Columbia. It’s a shame that Mizzou has lowered its’ standards, and people even try to defend the obvious deliberate attempt to water down the schedule. It is cowardly.

Journalism isn’t a legitimate college degree program . . . take that!

good thing you hung on to the bottle

This revisionist bull about Mizzou not beating anyone in the past two years is irritating. Last year, Mizzou beat the Orange Bowl champs (Kansas), the Gator Bowl champs (Tex tech) and Rose Bowl participant (Illinois). They also stomped Nebraska and Arkansas (cotton Bowl participant and victor over national champ LSU). They throttled two teams away from home (CU (which went to a bowl), and KSU (keeping them from bowl). Frankly, what ohter teams had more significant wins? This year, they again whupped rivals Illinois and Nebraska (who might just be Gator Bowl champs) and other bowl teams in Nevada, Buffalo and NWern. Certainly, this year had more disappointing losses, but nonetheless, some fine wins, regardless.

Itchie, you do understand that it takes two to tango, do you not? Do you know for certain that Mizzou hasn’t put out feelers to schools like Indiana, Vanderbilt and the like? Buffalo was a last minute add - were there any BCS conference teams available AND interested in filling that spot when Western Michigan pulled out? Mizzou has been on the rise for six seasons now (even with the hiccup in 2004) - who’s clamoring to enter into a contract with us? Who’s approaching us with home-and-home offers? My guess is that a lot of BCS conference teams haven’t been scrambling to get Mizzou on the schedule over the last couple of years. My presumption is that while Mizzou was being led by Brad Smith and Chase Daniel, there weren’t a lot of teams like Indiana, Vanderbilt, Iowa or even Arizona, TCU or Cincinnati looking to hook up with the Tigers if it meant having to come to Columbia any time in the near future. Simply put, it cuts both ways. I just don’t think a lot of emerging programs would have wanted to schedule a game like Missouri, nor do I think a lot of the big guys would have wanted to schedule such a game at a point in time when it was yet to be determined whether the Tigers were a legitimate top 10 team.

For all we know, Mizzou is doing the best it can to schedule a decent non-conference schedule among the programs that are willing to agree to some sort of a FAIR scheduling arrangement, i.e. a guaranteed home-and-home, no-cut deal. Until we know what deals were and were not on the table, I don’t see how criticism can leveled fairly.

Let’s see what MU does with the recently vacated SMU dates. Anyone out there know what BCS conference teams still have openings for 09 and 10?

OMG you poor people.. Sorry 10 wins is 10 wins. Don’t care how they get them Your job as a college football squad is to get them. Pinkle is buidling this program and I think he is doing a great job. Every major school starts off on the soft schedule, then again how many of them start off with a potential top 25 school like Illinois? Please why stomp this or last season in a mud hole. These kids play very well I enjoyed watching them and I’m ready for next season. Oh and Missouri has the better J-School period hands down. Only thing Iowa or Notherwestern can beat us at is snow and they can keep that

i’m b-a-a-a-c-k!! did any of you supposed football geniuses noticed who laid the one loss on Penn State this year? i suppose not! to put the “hawkeyes” in the same grouping as Vandy, Indiana, or even Illinois is sooo bad!! you can check the Hawks out vs the Steve Spurrier South Carolina team, yet!! you’ll see a real running back in Shon Greene!!
about that journalism school over in Columbia-i didn’t know literacy existed in Missouri until 1980!! And, is there a writer’s workshop school as well known as the one in Iowa City?? i don’t THINK SO!!
however, both Mizzou and the Hawkeyes have the colors right!! Black and Gold!!

In addition to the insanity of losing 4 to 5 yards to center the ball for Wolfert at the end of regulation, I was also baffled by the previous possession when we were down by three and had plenty of time to go for the win. Apparently the coaches were so freaked out by Daniel’s sudden inability to hit a barn that they feared an interception would end the game. So they ran a couple of plays to set up the field goal that led to a tie. You simply couldn’t hide the coaches lack of confidence in Daniel at that point. But at the end of the day, I’m glad Daniel pulled it out with a good strike to Maclin for the win. Good ending to a good career. As far as next year goes, I’m looking forward to a new O.C. as the offensive scheme has simply gotten too cute. On the defensive side of the ball, I’m not sure if they need better athletes in the secondary or a simplified approach to coverage. Probably both…

Bernie,

I, for one, was screaming at the set for Pinkel to take Daniels out. I feel terrible for doing it too. But, the kid either has a concussion or was experiencing a major domo meltdown and if he was hurt, then he should have pulled the kid for Patton. That last regulation series of plays just baffles. The coaching staff must have been hit by the same truck Daniels was hit by? All in all, I am glad that Woffert didn’t have that missed fg to haunt him and I think he might be the ’surprise’ pro selection…what an incredible career he had for the black and gold.

Shamrock Jim, your standards are not particularly high, eh? 10 wins is 10 wins…As I stated prior, Mizzou’s athletic (not just football) mediocrity in the last 35 - 40 years has dumbed down not just schedules, but expectations as well. Geez, all the sports Mizzou plays, and all the years and they only have one national championship (baseball, 1954). I would like to win something now and then. I don’t care if it is tennis, volleyball, softball, whatever, we are never an elite team in any sport, period. It is very doubtful that Mizzou will have the chances at football greatness again, as they have had the past two years. Sorry, but beating the Nevadas of the world don’t provide me with the same feeling as I had when we beat Notre Dame in ‘78, Nebraska in ‘78, USC in 75 or 76 and Alabama around the same time period. Also, I do believe Alden has made statements about the deliberate easing up of the schedule. This year, 10 wins or not, has been frustrating and disappointing, and further confirmed the mediocre coaching of Gary Pinkel.

Right before the last field goal try by Mizzou, the announcers were wondering why not try the kick on 3rd down so in case there was a bad snap, the holder could throw the ball away and Mu would still have another chance. What I was wondering was why not on 3rd down (with one time out left) line up for the FG and run a fake. If it doesn’t work, you call time out and then kick. Northwestern would have been completely fooled. I think it may have worked b/c have you ever seen anyone try that in such a circumstance before.
As far as scheduling goes, why not mandate that if you are in a conference, every team in that conference has to play each other. Every Big 12 team plays one another, likewise Big 11 play each other,PAC 10, SEC, etc. Any extra game(s) must be played against a team from the schools own NCAA sub-division.
Bernie, I agree w/ you about “Rescue Me” and Fontella Bass. Great, great song

Excellent point on the Baseball America ranking Bernie. A farm system can only be judged as successful when the prospects it produces make a major contribution to the success of the major league team. Strongly heralded prospects are just that….young players with potential who have yet to prove themselves at the major league level. Let’s hope that the next step happens and we need it to start in the 2009 season.

I would like to know finally know what happened to Chase Daniel in the Okie State game. He was never the same player for the remainder of the season after getting his bell rung in that game.

I am sure Chase is the type of player that would not admit to any health problems if it would have kept him from playing.

Am I alone in wondering about this?

hey redbirds are you watching the blues? young players giving them a chance, and getting bigshow min.
pay attention

Bernie, Maclin will be in a Rams uniform right after the Cardinals sign a top tier free agent and we all know when that will be–NEVER! As much as I’d like to see a decent punt/KO return guy (whoa! that gives me chills), we would still end up with no offense and no defense. Since Maclin can’t play quarterback, offensive line or Linebacker, we would still have some huge holes to fill.

Here’s one for the draft wiennies to salivate over: Let’s trade down so we can get Maclin, Coffman and Daniels in the first 2 rounds!! Why, we could trade the phenoms Klopfenstein and Incognito to make it all happen. (Hold on, gotta take a sip of the Coolaid)…

While we’re at it, why don’t we go after Shannahan. Billy D said the coach is the face of the franchise, and I can’t think of anyone better suited to be coach and GM, with Billy playing a key role in the background. The only problem with this is Shannahan would bring in a couple more power backs and the Dome guys would have to replace the turf every year due to a pounding ground game that would chew up the field turf at an alarming rate. Instead of Chuck Knox’s 3 clouds of dust, 1 pass and a punt strategy, we would have to modify it to 3 clouds of turf clippings, 1 pass and a punt.

On a separate note, here’s wishing our boys in Blue a healthy and prosperous 2009! God know they need it! Can we step up and get a top-tier stopper anytime soon? Manny’s a great guy but he’s Manny and not a big dog among those that stop the puck.

As well, here’s to Billy D Jr. and Johnny M. over at the Cardinals–have a great 2009 guys, unfortunately it doesn’t look like the fans will. Can you say 4th place in the Central?

The Alamo Bowl game again showed how much professional level talent Missouri has. Macklin, Weatherspoon, Coffman and Wolfert should be successful in the NFL. Also possibly Ziggy Hood and a few others. When I compared the level of talent between Missouri and Northwestern, I could find only one word to explain a tie in regulation time: “Outcoached”. For those who prefer longer answers, try “badly outcoached”.
Eberfluss has taken most of the heat for our poor defense, but the main “culprit” may be the defensive back coach, because Missouri has done reasonably well against the run the last two years, except for Oklahoma. For example, we did a good job last year in bottling up Arkansas’s two great running backs. But our defense backs could not cover a one legged receiver. Our backs may be lacking in speed, but they also have made a LOT of mental errors in coverage, and that is partly a function of coaching.

Good call on the Cardinals farm system. I know they want to provide a pipeline, but I am not so sure about the quality until I start to see 40 saves from the Mott/Perez Two-Headed Closer and someone step up into the rotation. At this point, I will take a second baseman with some pop. Show-Me Cardinals. Especially since they cheaped out on Miles and could not pull the trigger on Fuentes.

Clearly VCU has the best J-School. I mean, have you checked its football schedule?

DG - What is a VCU?