Bernie:

Glad you’re somewhat back among the living…

I’m hoping that the Rams’ rebuilding gets finished first, but there are way too many variables in that equation, to say nothing of dumb luck. As others have mentioned, for every Atlanta & Miami, you have a Detroit. If we’re lucky, we’ll get lucky in 2009 as we did back in 1999.

And I’ll nominate Surfin’ USA for favorite Beach Boys song, ’cause only Brian Wilson could improve on a Chuck Berry melody (Sweet Little Sixteen).

Gotta love Dan Dierdorf. Don’t know him personally but he seems pretty down to earth, honest, humble, and not a lot of ego.

Favorite BB song for me is California Girls. Why? After 7th grade my buddies family took me with them on their trip to CA. Flew to Frisco, stayed at the Fairmont Hotel. Flew to LA, stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. Drove to La Jolla, then Mexico, and then over to Phoenix area. The week before I bought the album with CA Girls and played it non-stop. And for a 12-13 yr old horn-dog like myself, those girls were hot!!!

Man….tough to narrow down to one Beach Boys tune. It really depends on my mood as far as which one is my favorite. I’d have to go with a top 3 of Sloop John B, Heroes and Villians, and God Only Knows(still #1).

On another topic…honestly, there’s so many what if’s in that Chiefs scenario right now, so I’m much happier to have Billy D. in charge here. I just think that with the fact that he’s had a year within the organization already to familiarize himself with the team’s strengths(?) and weaknesses, it gives the Rams a head start on KC. Plus, with this off-season in full swing already (for most teams), it’s good to have the head of management in place and leading the search for a new HC. KC may strike gold with Pioli, but I really think that Devaney is every bit the football mind that he is. That being said, one man can’t do the whole thing, so it’s going to be interesting to see how(if) all of the other pieces fall into place for Rams this offseason to make a significant improvement for next year (i.e. 7-8 wins).

As a professional musician, I have to vote for “Good Vibrations.” Wonderful Beach Boy harmony and excellent use of transposition. Plus it was a big leap forward for the band when they progressed from simple car songs. Their successful attempt to compete with psychedelic music of the English bands.
Chiefs need to get rid of Herm Edwards. Talent wise, I think the chiefs are better mostly due to a two young talented quarterbacks. They must draft defensive but hire an offensively creative coach.
Are the cards ever going to sign another top third free agent? Their philosophy seems opposed to he idea.

Hate the idea that SHAW has any INVOLVEMENT whatsoever in picking the new Coach , more scared when I learn D.D. does NOT have much input , become terrified when I learn Marshall seemingly isn’t involved whatsoever ,seems to be ” same ole , same ole ” when you get right down to it.

Great Blog Bernie, the Ram’s might get a phone interview with Josh Mc Daniel but thats all. Haslett will be named Head Coach before Spagnuolo even gets finished with the Playoffs. It’s really to bad that Chip had to lead on the Rams fans with the money issue, he is starting to sound like Mo of the Cheap Birds, all show and NO GO! Should the Chiefs sign Scott Pioli to run their team, the Rams will have to wait until the end of the 21st century to see another Super Bowl.

Happy to hear that Chip Rosenbloom is willing to put his money where his mouth is ,quite a refreshing change from our baseball team owner.I think Chip sincerely wants a first class organization that will carry on with the winning tradition of his father and more recently in St.Louis his mother.

MMR1111

What has come out of NE and been succesful elsewhere during the Belichick era? Crennel? Weis? Mangini? Sounds like a bunch of people riding Belichick’s coattails to a fat payday.

Also, I love the Beach Boys. Such feel good music. “Wouldn’t it be nice” and “Kokomo” come to mind as my favorites. I was 5 when “Kokomo” came out, so it takes me back to my childhood.

Prefer Pioli over Devaney 100%…Not ripping on Chip, but I think this is just lip service. End result is a 2nd tier assistant (hopefully-Frazier or Ryan) or Haslett.

I would prefer Pioli over Devaney but Devaney is good so lets see what happens next year. If Rosenbloom holds to his promise, don’t be surprised if you see a “high tier” assistant get the job. We can all speculate on who it will be but the choice could surprise us all. After a horrible season such as this last one, the Rams deserve it.

Note to Chip Rosenbloom, Bill Devaney….permission to bring in all comers…let’s see who “wants” to come here and coach…last time I looked $2.5M wasn’t chump change…stay the course…a great candidate will emerge.

Give me Devaney, I like this guy, he appears to have the energy and drive to succeed…Perhaps Pioli is the next Golden Boy but Belichick has to get a “little” credit for New England’s personnel success…at least a smidge, agreed? Devaney is starting with nothing…so turn him loose! Besides, the Rams have been here since 1995 and we only saw Shaw during each Vernal Equinox…now we got a guy we can listen to everyday…how novel.
PS, it is sad to see how far the Chiefs have fallen. KC is a great football town. They deserve better as does STL.
Hard to say who will reach higher ground quicker, both teams are in Divisions that are going through big time turbulence…

Was La Russa at Thompson’s wedding? Did he take the ring away from him after the second hymn? Congrats to Brad, yes he is underappreciated.

Brian Wilson is an American music icon…and the Beach Boys are just one notch below the Beatles and Stones in my book…California Girls, Sloop John B, Wouldn’t It Be Nice, In My Room and God Only Knows are my top five.
Pet Sounds is a must for any album/CD collection. You can give me the David Lee Roth video of California Girls….but you can keep the audio!

Dan Dierdorf is a St. Louis icon! What a great VP of the Rams he would make….nice thought. I would suspect once he is in the loop, DD will be a firm and fair evaluator of the final candidates. He has a dog in the fight because he lives here…the Rams are lucky to have his eye and ear.
Go Blue!

Free Andy McDonald

Over and out

I’ll take Devaney over Pioli. There’s something to be said for having something to prove in the NFL. First of all, if took your time and made a list of all the head coaches that have won the Super Bowl with two different organizations, you would have a list that is very easy to remember, because it contains ZERO members. To the best of my knowledge the same is true of General Managers as well. If a GM has won the Super Bowl in two places, it happened around the time dirt was invented. The bottom line is that there are no guarantees in the NFL, whether it’s name brand GM’s, head coaches, or players. I’ll guarantee you this though… somebody was saying “Who the hell is this guy? He’s unproven as a pro head coach…” when Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs, Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, Jimmy Johnson, etc. were hired. They became names and won Super Bowls in part because they were given a chance. I’m a big Rams fan, but I get a little irritated with some fans who complain about everything under the sun. Don’t get me wrong, I was one of the biggest complainers when it became obvious that Zygmunt was running the team into the ground. That’s why I actually consider this a productive year for the Rams… because it was bad enough to get him ejected from his job. I think that Devaney has done well with the few moves that he has made so far. Let’s give the guy a decent chance to prove himself before firing unjustified salvos of negative criticism. Devaney could end up being the best GM in history or the worst, or more likely somewhere in between, but positive energy is always better than negative and we should give him a chance to do his job. By the way, regardless of the results, the Rams are one of the highest spending teams in the NFL, so it is impossible to correctly call them “cheap” as I have heard bantered around. The problem was Zygmunt was thoroughly incompetent. If you want a topic to justifiably complain about, how about the load of BS coming from the Cardinals front orifice about how they’re “improving” the team. Unless they start doing their job and filling the definite holes on the team, they’re in for a bad year because they overachieved last year and right now they are worse off personel-wise. Good thing they locked down the bullpen lefty with an ERA over 8.00! The Cardinals management and ownership is going to totally take advantage of the incredible loyalty of the fans and ride this team into the ground for a few years before they even try to do any REAL improvement.

kokomo is one of the worst beach boys songs EVER

Bernie!

Happy New Year! I along with many do not believe Chip will get the best coach. We may even be one of the first to sign, but will be be left with “sloppy seconds”. Devaney must be our guy! We cannot compare or worry about Pioli. Beach Boys!! Now you are talking. I say your favorite albums of the year and never heard of any of the. #1 Beach Boys has to be God only knows! One song left of is Darlin’ that Carl wilson could really sing!

Have a great day everyone!

3.) I’m sure the Chiefs will reach higher ground. For one reason it wasn’t just the rams who were hit hard with empty stadiums on sundays. The chiefs home games were pretty empty and that’s very rare for KC. So I believe there’s more urgency to do whatever is necessary to fix the problem in KC.

4.) Anything off of pet sounds would be thrown into the best Brian Wilson/Beach Boy song but if I had to narrow it down it would be a tossup between Caroline No and God only knows. I seen a documentary on the pet sounds album in which Wilson said he and his current wife at the time, Marilyn, would lay in bed all day listening to the album specifically God only knows and cry all day. That song had a significant meaning to him and it comes through in the recording. God only knows is probably my fave all time wilson track but Caroline No is right behind. That album is def. on my all time greatest albums list. His latest album “lucky old sun” was kind of a disappointment. I was hoping it would come off like Johnny Cash’s American series. Wilson needs Rick Rubin to produce his next effort for sure.

I know this was yesterday’s topic, but you should check out the band Eagles of Death Metal. Absolutely brilliant!

How could you say Kokomo is the best Brian Wilson/beach boys song???? For 1.) it’s horrible and a throw away song with no substance and 2.) Brian Wilson had nothing to do with it, he was thrown out of his own band before that song was co written by his cousin mike love. Brian Wilson didn’t write Kokomo, thank god.

Favorite BB tune? “Caroline, No” always a favorite. Good insight into how girls cut their hair and get B**chy with age. Like “Surfs Up” a lot, too. Wilson did some nice work with Van Dyke Parks. As far as the Rams go….there are many good candidates out there. Doubt that any one of them is the magic bullet. The Rams are beginning a full organizational transition. I just hope that they come up with a philosophy that is coordinated, one that will lead to quality play on the field. There are many ways to play winning football. High flying offenses or ball control offenses. Big run stuffing defenses or lightning fast swarming defenses. The main thing is that a consistent plan is developed that will harvest players that fit the schemes. Most winning franchises have an identity and work at honing it. The Rams, at present, do not.

Why is Spanguolo a long shot? I think he would make a great head coach and could turn this troubled franchise around…

I agree with Bernie that “In My Room” and “God Only Knows” are the two iconic Brian Wilson songs. Both were the first two songs to stand alone with the Beach Boys sound that weren’t evolved from the 12 bar blues so familiar with theirs and other contemporary sounds of the era.

One of my favorite underrated BB songs has to be “Sail, On Sailor” - written by Wilson but eventually recorded by (then) Beach Boys member, Blondie Chaplin. A great melody featuring classic Phil Spector amplification, the song is unique by incorporating infamous BB melodies and sounds with a non Brian Wilson or Mike Love lead vocal. If late 60’s southern california could have an anthem, this song surely must be included in the discussion. You won’t hear this song on Oldies stations too often, but it must be recognized as a special song in the BB cannon.

And here I always thought the best Beach Boys song NOT written by Wilson was “The Sloop John B.”

If the Rams can afford to pay Drew Bennett and La’Roi Glover upwards of $5 mil a year to do nothing besides fake injuries and wear football pants much higher than they rightfully should be, I would think they could afford to shell out a little more than $2 mil for the leader of the team. Get it Fixed, Chip. Someone out there has to. Chiefs rebuild faster only because their division is full of teams that have superstars on the decline, morons in the front office, or not enough support/coaching to improve their young talent. Congrats to BT. “Good Vibrations” may be played, but it’s the pick for the BB song. Why on earth would anyone at Rams park need football advice from a HOFer? Maybe Dierdorf can mix in a “Suffering Succotash” during the game this weekend.

In my room is Wilson’s best work.

Dierdorf’s advice for a new coach should be minimized. Choosing coaches today is radically different than 26 years ago when he retired. Being a broadcaster since then isn’t enough to meet today’s knowledge requirement for what’s needed.

I like Arizona’s chance at Carolina. The east coast blather that the Big Red can’t win in that time zone is BS. The Cards and Warner played a great game their this year in a close loss. It’s my mortal lock upset of the year pick.

Why do people always complain? People want a good HC, but after they hear the list of candidates, the whining begins!!!! First of all, Jay Zygmunt & John Shaw wasn’t the sole reasons the Rams collapsed. Bad personnel decisions from HC’s, fluke injuries, and players not listening. Incognito is a roid rage baby. He is the worst blocker on the team, next to C Nick Leckey. Between those two bumblers, Bulger was an easy target for most sack masters. After those two left, the QB and RB’s, both became more productive. The Rams are about 12 players away from being contenders again. The Rams need 2 CB’s, 1 SS, 1 TE, 1 FB, 1 TB, 1 massive NT,& a big MLB. In the draft, the Rams need a big OT & a Center & 2 dedicated route running WR’s, that can look for hot reads. Bulger needs smarter WR’s, guys who can watch the QB, and provide a relief valve for him. Only Torry Holt can do that now.
I have met Dan Dierdorf. He is a classy gentleman. He is not as tall as he used to be, given 2 hip replacements and many knee operations, but what he lacks in size, he makes up with personality. He is very knowledgable in a great many areas. He is a very smart man.
Bilicheat knows players too, but not as much as game films can tell him. The Patriots are out of the playoffs this season, because they don’t have the golden boy, Tom Brady. Maybe Bilicheat should have gotten Kurt Warner as his No#1 starter instead of Matt Cassels.

Surf’s Up!! Completely slipped my mind! What a beautiful song. Caroline No…Wonderful song too! I have seen Beach Boys here in STL at least 10 times. Show at the Muny was my favorite. Mid to late 80’s in the 9th row. John Stamos on the drums.

Bernie! Looking for a new music treat! Try Brad Paisley’s 5th gear. Awesome muscian with wonderful talent. Even my hard rock knucklehead son loves him.

Thanks for the great topic today!

Fave Beach Boys song: Don’t Worry Baby. No one has ever recorded a better melody. The production is beautiful and, using Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, the instrumentation is lush. Best Ever.

And for a more recent Brian Wilson treat: ‘Lucky Old Sun’ Cd from last year. The best he’s done since Pet Sounds.

Shoot….forgot about ‘God Only Knows’ (how could I)…..okay toss up between God Only Knows and Don’t Worry Baby. God Bless Brian Wilson.

My tops are:
Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Don’t Worry Baby, God Only Knows, and Warmth of the Sun. Someone was just talking about Sail on Sailor, who was that??

The album “Surfin’ USA” was my favorite Beach Boy album and “Farmer’s Daughter” was my favorite song; simple bass, the expected beautiful harmony, and falling in love at the time with a beautiful farmer’s daughter near Noser’s Mill, Missouri left a lasting impression. It was all so new and fresh!

Thanks to my mom’s influence, the Beach Boys were my first favorite band and my first concert — at the Illinois State Fair in 1981. I’m a big fan of “In My Room”, “God Only Knows”, and “Don’t Worry Baby”, but I want to throw in “Wouldn’t It Be Nice?”. The innocence and simplicity are very appealing.

As far as some of the more cheesy Beach Boys songs go, I always enjoy hearing “Be True To Your School”. No December is ever complete for me until I hear “Merry Christmas, Baby”. “Little Saint Nick”, “Santa’s Beard”, and “The Man With All The Toys” are terrific as well.

I also enjoyed fun October 1989 concert from the 5th row of the Assembly Hall in Champaign that had the Beach Boys and Chicago paired up.