We’ve been invaded by the Cicadas!! Thank Goodness, the Cicadas are cyclical.  They have several unique characteristics (other than flying directly into you). Sports have some of those same characteristics. 

….sometimes, Cicadas surprise us…maybe they’re quiet…maybe they suddenly start chirping  …maybe they’ve landed on you w/o you realizing it….But, we get surprised in Sports too. Recently when I read that StL City SC was 29th of the 29 league teams in player salaries! This shocked me! They are selling out the stadium each game with highly energized fans yet are LAST in payroll? This isn’t new though. Last year in the first set of numbers released, City was ranked #28 out of the 29 teams in salary. They did move up to 27th when the summer numbers were released.  Money brings in talent in ANY professional sports league. I was really surprised that City had not gone deeper into their own pockets to acquire more highly talented players.  After the summer transfer window, its been elevated to $12,015,851. That, according to The Athletic, is about $33,000 less than the payroll of Montreal, the next lowest team. From another perspective, City SC’s team payroll is slightly more than the base salary of the league’s highest-paid player, Lionel Messi, who makes $12 million, though he has an annual guaranteed compensation of more than $20 million. Winning at the professional level, in any sport, requires investment in facilities, coaches and most of all—in players. Even though, ownership can not know exactly how this player will perform…will they stay healthy, will they be a “team” man… and react with other players, There are all kinds of Suprises in sports too. However, investment in the higher level players is usually the ticket to success.

…every Cicada group must have a leader….every team needs a leader!  For the Blues, the signing of their leader, Drew Bannister, to a two-year extension looks like a good, logical move. Bannister seemed to get the Blues to play “faster, quicker” each game than they had done earlier in the year. Now… the Blues need to acquire some better players who can score &/or defend.

…..On the other hand, Cicadas can ..and do.. make noise…St Louis City SC developmental teams are making noise. Recently the U-15, U-16 and U-17 teams returned home following strong showings at MLS NEXT Flex, which ran May 10-May 14. The U-15s kicked off their 3-match slate with a bout against LA Surf Soccer Club. City shut them out in a one-sided 3-0 victory. On the following day, the City team notched a 2-1 win over FC Dallas U-15s. Hoping to finish with a perfect record, th U-15’s took on D.C. United U-15s with the top spot in the group on the line. Although the U-15s scored twice, the D.C. United  team emerged with a 3-2 victory and the number one seed in the group. Nonethess, the St Louis teams made some noise!!!

…Staying in soccer—In the U-16 competition, the St Louis City U-16s finished unbeaten in the 3 game competition! In their 1^st match vs Chula Vista FC, the City team coasted to a 4-0 victory. The next day saw a 2-2 tie vs Ballistic United but City won the shootout 4-1. The 3^rd match saw the City U-16’s knock off Athletum FC Adademy 5-2. Against all competition, the U-16’s are unbeaten over their last 5 matches.

…Cicadas are out of sight for long periods of time. Out of sight, but reshaping the NCAA as we knew it has taken place in the past few months.  The NCAA  along with the nation’s 5 biggest conferences have agreed to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims. This life-changing decision sets the stage for a groundbreaking revenue-sharing model that could start directing millions of dollars directly to athletes as soon as the 2025 fall semester.  This agreement ends the NCAA’s amateurism model that dates to its founding in 1906! Players will now be paid….some very handsomely. No one knows for sure but some have speculated that some QB’s could “earn” over $100,000 as a college player! There are all kinds of provisions, many to still be finalized in the details. But the NCAA & the conferences will pay out $2.7 Billion dollars over 10 years to 14,000 former & current college athletes. Basically, the athletes won this court battle by claiming that they were prevented from earning money from endorsements & sponsorship deals dating back to 2016. Now…it’s a New World!  BTW…expect your taxes to increase to reach these payouts to athletes in the future. I think that conferences will be realigned. No longer will the geography matter for conference affiliation…it’ll be how much is the each conference has their teams “paying out” to the players. There may be self-imposed limits by each college(although those limits will change often) since each school is in a different spot financially. Then, each will be placed in a conference with other schools paying “about” the same.

…. Cicadas have a short life cycle. So too in the MLB on occasion, after a month or so of 2024 season, Jordan Walker was sent down to the Minors. The Cards indicated that they wanted his swing “changed”.  Apparently Walker hasn’t changed his swing because he’s still in the minors. Why isn’t he back in the Lou?  IN 2023, Walker had 420 AB’s, hit .276 , 16 HR, the big negative (apparently) was 104 strikeouts in 457 plate appearances (striking out once every 4.39 AB). But is that much different than Michael Siani – striking out once every 4.30 (86  P App; 20 K’s. The Cards indicated that Jordan Walker was working on hitting low strikes. He’s had 2 months to learn from the minor league instructors. If he hasn’t mastered it yet, I would assume that either he requires better instruction. Or….that he just can’t do it!  The MLB batting instructors should be better teachers than those in the Minor Leagues. Bring Walker back up!

….Some Cicadas last longer than others…Like an ol’ cicada, Matt Carpenter is still on the roster….But, WHY is Matt Carpenter still on the team? His $740,000 is not high by MLB standards but it is still way above a rookie’s salary in MLB($60,300).  He’s NOT going to be a part of the future Cardinal teams (like some of these young players will be). Matt Carpenter strikes out once every 3.3 AB as a seasoned veteran!! Why are the Cards wasting a roster spot on him while other rookies wait in the wings?

…Cicadas lives are really not sustainable.  Surprisingly, agreeing with the Cicadas, the NY Yankees say that their current salary scale just isn’t sustainable. With a 35-17 record that leads all AL clubs and trails only the Phillies in the NL, the Yankees have been among the very best teams in baseball to start the 2024 campaign. That being said, all that winning has come at a price. The club’s overall payroll , by best estimations, is at a whopping $302M this season! Now..this amount is unbelievable but awarding  gigantic contracts to star is the approach that the Yankees have followed for decades. Much of the time since Babe Ruth the Yanks have opened their pocketbook to a very wide extent for their stars. Their team salary scale has been at the top, or close to it, for decades! Are they crying “wolf’ or will they actually cut back. Time will tell.

….Cicadas don’t seem to have a real “leader”. They all “chirp in”. Is this true with the Cardinals too? Last night, after 5 2/3 strong innings(1 earned run, 6 strikeouts), Sonny Gray appeared to be asking Cards Manager Ollie Marmol to remove him from the game! Now 2 men had just reached on errors and scored on the 3-run HR by Gunnar Henderson. Gray had taken a no-hitter into the 6th inning against Baltimore and then, in his words, “hit a wall.” Two batters faced him, two errors behind him, and Gray allowed a 3-run homer that obliterated the zeroes he had piled up. His quick pace became a  turtles pace. His pitch count began to elevate. After coaxing a full-count flyout from the 7th batter of the inning, Gray motioned with his glove to the dugout. 4 batters after the HR, he appeared to ask “out of the game” which MGR Marmol quickly agreed to! Sure…he had to appease his best pitcher but….what message did that send to the rest of the team? If things aren’t going good….ask out!! There was no mention of an injury, illness or anything of the sort in the coverage following the game! A real leader could have said, “Forget it! Get the last out and get us outta here!!! Or, he’d try to motivate him with something like…”.You’re out here to win not run when things don’t go well. You CAN get 1 more out to end the inning—do it!!!  Younger pitchers are watching YOUR reaction in what to do when you don’t have your best stuff. Show them …But instead, what real message did Ollie send to the team with the removal by a player who wasn’t performing and wanted out?

 …Keep in mind that this is the same guy, who’s our ace, and is well compensated for his work.  As reported by the Associated Press, Gray is set for a “modest” $10MM salary in 2024. $25MM in ’25 and $35MM in the 2026—the final year of the contract. Hey….can the Cardinals ask “out”(just like he did on the field) of his contract when it doesn’t go well for us, or if we’re tired of the his results &/0r excuses?

….Cidadas cycles of 13 or 17 years is much, much longer than the cycle of the Weekly Buzz. Thanks for your time & read each week. I’m always looking for new readers. Any sports fans/relatives/neighbors—send them my.

… I’d also love to read YOUR thoughts(if you prefer–without any Cicada references😊) on any of the topics in this Buzz! Post directly on Facebook or send to me & I’ll post it. Have a GREAT WEEK!! Bob