Leave it to the Rams to make some big moves on Christmas Eve with John Shaw stepping down and the promotion of Billy Devaney. Maybe Christmas Day will be a little quieter at Rams Park although it looks like San Francisco 49ers interim coach Mike Singletary is having a better holiday than Rams interim Jim Haslett. The Sacramento Bee is reporting that Singletary will be retained although his offensive coordinator Mike Martz will not return. And in respect to the holiday, we’ll refrain from comment on Charlie Weis managing to get Notre Dame past Hawaii in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve.

The Water Cooler
An abbreviated version today as we continue to look at Post-Dispatch reporters and their thoughts on some of the top stories of the year:

Tom Timmermann
The top story of the year was anything to do with the Rams, whose dreadfulness was worse than the Blues and more noteworthy than the surprising legs the Cardinals showed. The owner died, setting the stage for a sale — and possible departure — of the franchise and the team stunk, leading to the firing of the coach and the overhauling of the front office. In a year, we may not recognize the Rams. And in a few more, they might not be here.

Jeff Gordon
The demise of A-B. This will have a huge and unfortunate impact on local sports. Combine the adverse impact on the economy and the potential loss of long-term sponsorship and you have a catastrophe.

THE WATERCOOLER
(Post-Dispatch columnists and beat writers share their thoughts on a question of the day.)

Question: If you had to choose among the Blues’ three young forwards — David Perron, T.J. Oshie and Patrik Berglund — who do you think is most likely to become a consistent 30-goal scorer in the NHL and why?

BERNIE MIKLASZ
I’ll go with Perron. The kid seems to have an innate feel for the puck, and a real instinct for finding the open spaces. He’s slippery, and he’s clever and he plays with a bit of an edge. He has good hands. The goals will come. It’s just a matter of time. And once he starts pumping those goals in, we’ll see a lot of ’em.

TOM TIMMERMANN
Give me Oshie. I see Perron leveling off somewhere below 30 goals, in part because his skills will be directed elsewhere. Berglund may help other guys get 30 goals, but he won’t get ’em himself. Oshie, meanwhile, will scrap in front of the net, where there are goals to be found and he’s quick enough to make goals happen elsewhere.

JEREMY RUTHERFORD
All three players have 30-goal potential, but I like Perron’s chances best. Perron scored 39 goals in 70 games in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League two years ago, and Berglund put up 21 goals in 35 games and 21 goals in 36 games in back-to-back seasons in Sweden. Typically when you’re a goal scorer in hockey, you find ways to score at every level, and once Perron adjusts to the NHL, he’ll find a way. Berglund will score at this level, too, but playing center, he has more dirty work than Perron in the defensive end, and offensively I see Berglund as more of a play-maker. Oshie might be as fun a player as there is to watch, but he wasn’t a prolific scorer in college. He had 24 goals in 43 games as a freshman at the University of North Dakota, but then dipped to 17 and 18 his next two seasons. Oshie has so much energy and wants so badly to hit everything that moves that his No. 1 focus isn’t scoring. Perron has the skill-set and the improving strength to be a 30-goal guy in the NHL more consistently than the others.

DAN O’NEILL
First, I must take issue with the notion that we can predict a “consistent 30-goal scorer.” In their 41-season history, only eight players have scored 30 goals or more in a Blues uniform as many as three seasons in succession. But because it is a mandate, and because Bernie Parent has retired, I suggest Oshie is the most likely to reach that kind of production. He has the skill to score pretty goals and the grit to score ugly. He appears to be a slightly inflated version of Theo Fleury.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Since none of the writers chose Berglund, I’ve gotta chime in (maybe because I’ve got him on my fantasy team, maybe not.) Though he lacks the flash of Perron or the pure grit of Oshie, I think Berglund has the kind of understated European goal-scoring ability that could lead to him putting up “quiet” 30-goal seasons somewhat consistently. I like all three of the Blues youngsters, but for upside scoring I’d go with Berglund.

****

MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

GOOD LUCK WITH THAT: Pitcher Mike Hampton will return to the NL Central after signing a one-year deal with the Houston Astros. Does that scare you, Cardinal fans? Does it? Didn’t think so. Hampton’s biggest claim to fame is parlaying one 20-win season with the Astros (followed by a 15-win year with the Mets) into an eight-year, $121 million contract with the Colorado Rockies … then winning just 56 games over the life of that contract while with the Rockies and Braves. That means Hampton got paid just over $2.1 million per victory in that period. I’m thinking righthanded hitters will go long often against the lefty given the short porch in left at Minute Maid … assuming Hampton’s even playing. Remember he missed the 2006 and 2007 seasons following elbow operations and the first four months of last season with a torn pectoral muscle. Houston, you may have a problem.

BEER, BEER, BEER FOR OLD NOTRE DAME: That’s got to be the sentiment around South Bend after it was officially announced today that head coach Charlie Weis will be back for another year. This despite the fact that in his first four years Weis has compiled a 28-21 record and a .571 winning percentage, the worst since Gerry Faust led the Irish to a 30-26-1 mark (.535) from 1981-85. Wonder why Weis’ predecessor Tyrone Willingham didn’t get the same considerations after going 21-15 (.583) in his first three seasons? Think it has something to do with the 10-year contract extension Weis signed after his initial success at Notre Dame and the encumberances that a buyout could entail? Sorry, Irish fans, I guess it’s not over ’ til the Fat Man Cha-Chings at least one more year at Notre Dame. (Read Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Rosenbloom teeing off on the decision.)

****

JUST A FEW THINGS TO PONDER

ANTI-DOPING? HOW ABOUT ANTI-CARING: Six players in the NFL were suspended yesterday on suspicion of violating the league’s anti-doping policy. YAWN. Please wake me when the Steroid Era and everything that goes with it has passed. The only kind of talk I care about anymore in relation to “performance enhancers” is how the Rams might put a better product on the field or how the Cards can avoid losing leads in the late innings. Now there’s a performance-enhancing topic I think we can all agree on.

BUT THAT REMINDS ME: Why does any talk of Mark McGwire in any context bring out such raw emotions in St. Louis? There seems to be absolutely no middle ground. Either folks love him for his Summer of Love home-run fest and will never admit he did anything wrong, or folks hate him because they feel he cheated them and that he’s a fraud. At what point will one side take its head out of the sand and the other side admit McGwire was simply a product of his era? If you really need a villain in this whole saga, why not just blame those “female” East German athletes from back in the ’70s … Lord knows what many of them could have done with a bat in their hands at Coors Field.

AH, THERE’S ALWAYS THE CUBS: OK, I’ll admit this item is a week old, but any chance to poke fun at the Chicago Cubs’ historic playoff crashes seems to entertain our readers. So in case you Cardinals fans out there have not seen it, I thought you might like The Onion’s report on a contract agreement that stipulates the Cubs will not be going to the World Series for at least four more years, with an option for a six-year extension.

****

STAT OF THE DAY

ZERO — Winning seasons by the St. Louis Rams since Mad Mike Martz was run out of town on rails after the 2005 season. Martz’s record as Rams head coach was 56-36, good enough for a .609 winning percentage.

THE WATERCOOLER
(Post-Dispatch columnists and beat writers share their thoughts on a question of the day.)

Question: Does Mizzou stand any chance against Oklahoma in this Saturday’s Big 12 title game? Why or why not? And how about a final score?

BERNIE MIKLASZ
Mizzou is facing a long night at Arrowhead. No chance. OU is highly motivated to advance to the national championship game. And on top of that, coach Bob Stoops and the Sooners will want to shut up critics who insist that Texas should be in this game instead. On the Mizzou side, Gary Pinkel has never beaten a team of Oklahoma’s caliber, and the Tigers are hopeless on defense. At least the parking lots will empty early. Final score: Oklahoma 62, Missouri 28.

BRYAN BURWELL
Of course they have a chance. It’s a slim one because the Sooners are playing as good as any team in the country right now, and Mizzou historically does not do well against OU’s bigger and more physical players. But under Bob Stoops, OU does have a habit of losing at least one big game that they shouldn’t, so maybe this is that one. Final score: Oklahoma 61, Mizzou 35.

JOE STRAUSS
Mizzou has an outstanding chance if Jeremy Maclin’s hip heals, Chase Daniel finds a cure for happy feet against the Sooner defensive front, the Tiger special teams go crazy, Coach P. doesn’t leave timeouts on the clock, Sam Bradford can’t hold the ball and Benny Hinn lays hands on the secondary. Oklahoma is good enough to compete in the SEC, maybe even beat Alabama (but not Florida). It’s going to take more than a few “nifty ball plays” for the Tigers to avoid tumbling from the Top 25. In a closer than expected outcome: Sooners 41, El Tigres 27. Remember the Alamo!!!

JIM THOMAS
When I watch the Mizzou defense, I feel like I’m watching the Rams. Namely, blitzes that don’t get there and lots of blown coverages in the secondary, complete with defensive backs pointing aimlessly into space, wondering what happened. Can’t see Mizzou hanging with this bunch. Final score: Oklahoma 52, Mizzou 24.

****

MIDDAY HEADLINES AND QUESTIONS TO PONDER

PLAX SURRENDERS: New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress surrendered to police in Manhattan today to face a charge of handgun possession. Burress turned himself in three days after a gun he was allegedly carrying discharged and wounded him in the leg while he was at a New York nightclub. According to the New York Times Web site, Burress didn’t have a license to carry a gun in New York or New Jersey, where he lives. New York state law carries a sentence of up to 15 years for anyone convicted of carrying a weapon without a permit if it’s determined the person was going to use the weapon to harm someone, and up to seven years if intent to use can’t be proved. (More on Plax below)

MORE MASON TO COME? As reported by Jeremy Rutherford in today’s Post-Dispatch, Blues goalie Chris Mason has allowed just four goals on 134 shots in his past four games, lowering his goals-against average to 2.29 from 3.59 and improving his save percentage to .928 from .878. Against Atlanta on Sunday, he surrendered two goals on 30 shots, perhaps making a case to be the regular starter. Blues management and coaches were not happy with comments regular starter Manny Legace made after Saturday’s 4-2 loss to Edmonton. “I need some help out there,” Legace said. (Now I know the defense hasn’t played great of late, but I’m thinking a goalie needs to be worried more about what’s getting behind him than what’s going on in front of him.)

FAN FOR LIFE, AND DEATH: According to the Associated Press, lifelong Red Sox fans can now take their love of the team to the next level — eternity. A Massachusetts funeral home recently took delivery of the first Red Sox casket, which features the team logo on the exterior as well as the inside. Bob Biggins, co-director of Magoun-Biggins Funeral Home in Rockland, told The Boston Globe that families in mourning often want their loved ones buried with favorite items. In the past that’s included Red Sox paraphernalia; the casket takes it to the next step. (How long until the Yankees offer a similar casket with the words “Boston sucks even here” on it in an effort to continue taunting Bosox fans on the Other Side.)

IRISH WAKE: Can anyone explain to me what the heck has happened at Notre Dame? How does a school with that much history and tradition finds itself a mediocre-at-best program? Charlie Weis has seven years remaining on a 10-year contract and it’s looking like the ax could fall on him any day. Bob Davie obviously wasn’t the guy to follow Lou Holtz. Ty Willingham did alright but got chased quickly from South Bend. Are there any logical reasons this school can no longer recruit like it once did? And is there a high-profile, successful coach out there that would come to a school where so much is demanded from the football program and so much needs to be done to get them on course? I’m throwing this one to the masses because all the experts I listen to sure don’t seem to have the answers.

ALL HAIL THE CHIEFS: Rams fans should be elated with the Kansas City Chiefs victory on Sunday. That brings the Chiefs record even with the Rams at 2-10 — for those keeping track for 2009 draft purposes. Better yet, the Chiefs are showing signs of improvement, so the Rams may yet move ahead of them in the draft order. Since the Rams still go head-to-head with the 2-10 Seahawks, it’s a toss-up who wins that draft battle. I think it’s safe to say the 0-12 Lions have secured the No. 1 pick (with Matt Millen gone, any chance they still take another WR?). And at 1-10-1 and showing no pulse, the Bengals would have to be the frontrunner for the second pick. So the Rams could be looking at anywhere from picks 3 through 6. If they do as well at next year’s draft as they did with Chris Long at No. 2 last year, perhaps there is a ray of light.

*****

SOME THINGS I THINK I THINK

ANQUAN’S THE MAN: There are players who want to tell you how good they are (think T.O., Ocho Stinko), and then there are players who just show you how good they are. One that clearly falls into the Show Me category is Arizona WR Anquan Boldin.

Boldin, you may recall, showed up at training camp this year and lashed out at the club for failing to follow through on what he said was a promise for a new deal. (Notice though, that he SHOWED UP at camp.) No new deal was forthcoming. Boldin, one of the league’s most consistent receivers in recent years, didn’t sulk like many of today’s athletes are apt to do, vowing instead that his unhappiness with his contract wouldn’t affect his play.

And you know what? It hasn’t. Through this weekend’s games Boldin leads all WRs in the NFL with 11 touchdown receptions (his more heralded teammate Larry Fitzgerald is tied for second with four other receivers at eight), he ranks fourth in receptions at 78 and ranks seventh in total receiving yards at 942.

Oh, did I forget to mention that Boldin is doing his job weekly with eight plates in his face and wiring in his jaw. Boldin missed two and half weeks after he suffered a fractured sinus and other facial injuries following a fierce hit by the New York Jets’ Eric Smith on Sept. 28 — a hit that cost Smith a $50,000 fine and a one-game suspension. Boldin underwent surgery, with doctors inserting eight plates to repair his face and wiring to align his bite — yet he has still found a way to play.

“I’m still in awe of what he does on a weekly basis, and what he’s done since he’s come back from that injury,” quarterback Kurt Warner said. “Just a special individual.” I couldn’t agree more, Kurt.

Teams can come up with marketing campaigns like “Bring It” all they want — and every club in every league does it — but I contend that if you had more players that “bring it” with the heart and skill that Boldin does week in and week out, perhaps you’d put fannies in the seats without the catchy slogans. Boldin should provide gut-check fodder for every player in the NFL.

If I could have one WR to build a team around, Boldin would be the man. You got somebody better? Make your case.

POOR PLAX: If someone were seriously injured after an incident like this, I wouldn’t touch it. But since Burress apparently walked into court Monday without as much as a limp, according to reports, I can’t help myself. It’s easy to become immune to news about athletes smacking women around or spitting in their faces at nightclubs, or athletes involved in shootings that leave people paralyzed, or even athletes convicted of murder. It’s all happened in recent years, some times repeatedly. So I guess the only thing I can say about the alleged Plax shooting is this: At least he hurt no one but himself … perhaps that kind of self-policing can be the best thing for sports’ bad boys.

****

STAT OF THE DAY

GUESS THAT QUARTERBACK: A former Pro Bowler put up these numbers yesterday — 15 of 21 passing for 125 yards, two interceptions, and zero TDs. No, it’s not Marc Bulger. Those are the stats of once-mighty Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning. RB Joseph Addai can’t stay healthy (sound familiar?) and WR Marvin Harrison is getting old (sound familiar?) And in the wake of that, Manning is starting to look rather ordinary.