It’s not spring time but it’s RAINING DOWN OPTIMISM across the area’s sports world. Get your umbrella and take a stroll.

…Let’s go to Columbia, MO where it’s RAINING DOWN OPTIMISM for our 1^st stop. Coming off of a terrific Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State. MU finished 2^nd in the SEC East Division of SEC then upended the Buckeyes 14-3 in the Cotton Bowl. Mizzou fans & the team are “fired up” for ’24 for good reason. While several strong players are graduating or leaving for the draft, MU  still has a plethora of talent returning. You have to start @ QB! MU will still have QB Brady Cook returning- his experience, demeanor and throwing accuracy is a very important key to MU’s offense! Another talented player returning due to extra year granted by the NCAA due to Covid, Luther Burden, returns to lead the receiving corp. There was noticeable growth for Burden in 2023. Despite opponents sometimes  double-teaming him, he still caught key passes. Often, he turned them into big gainers with his terrific speed. SR Theo Wiese (transfer from Oklahoma) also returns. He had a “big” year last year—49 receptions, 682 total yards and 6 TD. His emergence “freed up” Luther Burden Jr in Cotton Bowl game. We’re not running through all the returners but there is talent and now a feeling of a “winning experience”. The schedule seems manageable, there will be hopes of reaching the expanded playoff (12 teams)as an experienced leadership team is already in the program.  LET’S GO TIGERS!!

… If you have a strong program in this day & age, you’ll always have players leaving early for the NFL draft. That actually adds to our OPTIMISM! It shows that MU has several players with enough talent to play at the highest level—the NFL. Here are the Tigers who have declared for the NFL draft—SR–LB Ty’Ron Hopper; SR Kicker-Harrison Mevis; DT-R/SR-Jayden Jernigan,  JR-Kris Abrams-Draine,(went from WR to DB); SR Nyles Gaddy, Senior-pass rusher; DB-SR-Jaylon Carlies; JR-corner back-Ennis Rakestraw, Jr. We wish them luck & look forward to their play in the NFL.

…Trying to cast aside the horrible memories of ’23, the Cardinals are now RAINING DOWN OPTIMISM. The Cardinals strengthened their weakest area by adding 3 veteran pitchers(all RHP) added to their pitching staff. The new ace will be 34 year old, Sonny Gray(3yr-$75m) and he’ll be followed in rotation by two 36 year old RHP’s, Lance Lynn($11m) & Kyle Gibson ($13m). In addition, the Cards added RH reliever Andrew Kittredge and signed Free Agent pitcher, Kenyan Middleton. Sooo… it looks like the Birds will be improved on the mound in’24. The Cards had to upgrade their staff when you look @ the 2023 Numbers. The Cards Pitching Staff  was 24^th (of 30 teams) in the MLB in ERA; 27^th in OBP against them; 29^th in Strikeouts & in 29^th in Average(against them) in the League! These pitchers will help us improve(although a mid-summer drop off has to be considererd) so one has to be OPTIMISTIC!

…Here’s an idea…with Lance Lynn & Kyle Gibson being older & unable to throw deep into the game, take a TAKE AN OPTISMISTIC APPROACH and pitch them back-back in the same game.  Hopefully, you’ll get 8 innings out of them.  That’d save the pen from 2 days or extended work(where the pen would have to go around 4-5 inn for each of them. An unspoken part of the troubled ’23 staff was the extended use of the bullpen that seem to wither due to overuse as ’23 unfolded.

…Back again..with the RAINING DOWN OPTIMISM and terrific fan support…albeit in a new league, are the St.Louis Battlehawks. The Battlehawks will be in the newly formed United Football League. This UFL was formed when the XFL and USFL merged late last year. 4 teams from each league made the jump to the new league, and they will be aligned in conferences based on which league they came from. With the Battlehawks having the highest attendance last year, they were an easy choice for the new league. Sooo.. the Ka-Kaw cheers, and hopefully TD’s, will continue in the Dome.

….the Blues are also RAINING DOWN OPTIMISM as they continue to fight to hang on for the last Playoff spot. As I watch them with my untrained eyes, it seems that they are playing better under the new Coach, Drew Bannister. As of Feb 6 am, the Blues are 13-7-1 under the new HC.  Looking down the road (or the ice), the Blues have to clear some cap space by moving 1 or 2 of their defensemen to strengthen the roster. Parayko, Krug & Faulk each make $6.5m and Leddy earns $4m. A move of 1,maybe even 2, of these defensemen could create some real space for transactions that would give a “fresh” look to the Blues. I think most Blues fans are feeling much, much better about the team than they were a month ago. LGB!!

…St Louis City SC will be starting their 2^nd season shortly, very shortly with OPTIMISM RAINING DOWN. Players are coming & going constantly here in the off-season (or so it seems) but the energy, interest, attendance of the fans remains at a torrid clip. There’s been all types of player personnel movement for City in the off-season as they continue to try to upgrade their roster. Their success in their 1^st season was shocking and provided an OPTIMISTIC feeling throughout the entire 2023 year!!  I’m not going through all the moves—just some of the major moves—City exercised their club options to retain 8 first-teamers: Striker Sam Adeniran, midfielders AZ Jackson, Célio Pompeu, and Akil Watts, and defenders Anthony Markanich and Josh Yaro. 2 players,  Max Schneider and Michael Creek saw their club options declined. (In our terms, they got cut!) City then put their toes into the Trade Waters by obtaining Chris Durkin( a defensive minded Midfielder). Midfielder Jared Stroud and defender Lucas Bartlett were traded for Durkin. Then City strengthened their defense by acquiring Tomas Totland, who had been playing in the Swedish league. Not letting any stone unturned, Hosei Kijima was City’s SuperDraft pick. City traded $75k & allocations for the 17^th pick in round 1. City used it to pick Kijima. City also drafted Providence striker Brendan McSorley in the third round. There have been all types & levels of moves for StL City and you can be assured that more “moves” will come. The fans, and the area are still RAINING DOWN OPTIMISM for the upcoming 2024 year.

…City 2 team (basically their minor league team) released everyone at the end of last season!  That roster will be filled shortly.  I must admit with signings, trades, “loans”,  from around the world, a fan has to stay close to the action to “keep up”. It’s really exciting to see StL City working so hard to put a good product on the field and to provide quality players for City SC. I think the 1^st round loss to KC Sporting still stings a bit and pushes the City officials to “move on & improve”. That’s brings OPTIMISM for the fans.

…While St Louis U & Missouri U are both struggling this basketball season, the fans can be excited that each school will make moves to improve the teams.  I’m not sure if it’ll be a new coach, new assistant  coaches, hiring a strong recruiter, using NIL money to entice some talented transfers. Maybe all of them….but THERE WILL BE MOVES  to give their fan an OPTIMISTIC FEELING before next season. 

….I’ve had several folks ask me about Yuri Collins. What’s happened to him? After playing  @ St. Marys & SLU, he’s now playing in the G-League of the NBA for the Santa Cruz Warriors.  Now…that’s a story that has to raise your spirits and give you that feeling that it’s RAINING DOWN OPTIMISM when a 5-7 guard is playing in the G-League! The next step (to the NBA) is a huge step.

…..It may not RAIN DOWN OPTIMISM for you when looking @ St Louis U & Mizzou in the basement in basketball but keep in mind, it happens to every school in some sport at some point. Look around at other last place teams in NCAA-M basketball. They are names that you wouldn’t expect to see as last place teams– Notre Dame (ACC conf); Michigan (Big 10); Temple (Am Athletic); Oklahoma St (Big 12); Depaul (Big East); USC (Pac 12). The key is to recruit hard(get some big NIL $$$) and raise yourself up as quickly as possible to be as OPTISMISTIC as possible.

…Well, that wraps up our RAINING DOWN OPTIMISM Buzz. Let’s here from you about what you’re OPTIMISMISTIC about in the StL/Missouri sports world. Just send them to me(or post) on my Facebook page-Bob Ryan or on my website…www.bobryansportsblog.com. Have a great week 😊  Bob