But You Thought….

We often think that we “know” something is true. Maybe it’s due to our experiences, background, age, etc. Here are a couple sports suppositions that aren’t true…

…. You Thought…the St Louis Cardinals have good 1st round draft choices….in reality—not so much. Check out the Cards top picks since 2017—2017 Scot Hurst, 1st Cards(was 0 for 5 in the MLB in his career; 2018–Nolan Gorman (some scouts said that he had the most power than any other Cards draft pick in recent memory (now, if he could just hit the ball 😊)  2019showed some success-Zach Thompson as 1st pick; Andre Pallante in 4th round; Pedro Pages -6t round. All have reached the Cards…how long will they last  and how good will they be is TBD(i.e. adjust to MLB pitching or batters) In 2020-Jordan Walker (considered top 3b of the draft)-we know his story (still locked up in Memphis minor league), after a strong year in 2023—Cards wanted to change his swing.  Well…they did…and now he can’t reach the MLB!! But in 2020, Cards did draft Masyn Winn-2nd round who started strong and is now adjusting to MLB pitchers who “know him” better at the plate; Alec Burleson -2nd round; 2021- Mike McGreevey -drafted 1st round, 18th pick—still playing @Memphis—he’s not on the Cards 40-man roster; 2022—Cooper Hjerpe—LHP—unusual delivery (that tells me IF (and it’s a big IF) he does make the MLB, his unusual delivery will shorten his career. I don’t know about you…but these #1 draft picks (that should be the most likely to reach the MLB) leave a lot to be desired. Todd Worrell (1982) is the only Cardinals first-round draft pick to win the Rookie of the Year Award. Now.. there are some lower level draft picks that do reach the Cardinals and that’s good but…you just can’t miss on those #1’s so often.

…YOU THOUGHT while still thinking about the Cardinals that Cards have been “winners” many years and they have been! The Cards have won 11 World Series Championships (2nd only to the NYY) and the most in the National League!  Their last World Series Championship was in 2011. It seems to me to be much, much easier to reach the post-season but with all the additional rounds of post-season, it may actually be tougher to win the World Series repeatedly. All the teams are quality teams in the playoffs so 1 or 2 poor games coupled with the usual tit for tat type of play in the playoffs makes it tougher to “win it all”. The short length of the average MLB player (The average career length of a MLB player is 6.06 years, while the median is five years. Only 23.1% of players play for only ONE season. While 55.2% of players will play 5 seasons or less makes the continually changing roster makes it tough to win it all. Further, free agency impacts the longevity of a strong team remaining intact. When 1 or 2 key players (not just the stars) depart, teams just aren’t the same.

….YOU  THOUGHT that Soccer was the world’s most popular sport—and IT IS! But what’s #2, #3, etc?   That may surprise you..@#2  in the World is Cricket! #3 finds-Tennis; #-4 Golf; #5-Basketball, #6-Baseball, #7-Rugby,  #8-Hockey! Remember…it’s worldwide!

…Recently, I mentioned that I’d like an NBA team to be in the St Louis area (probably St. Charles)…MANY OF YOU THOUGHT that it was a poor idea. I was pooh-poohed by some of you with no agreements from anyone else. Don’t worry…that won’t stop me…after all, my wife of 50 years told me at 1 point while dating her that she didn’t want to date me anymore too!! Obviously, that didn’t stop me either!!  Well… the NBA doesn’t need us…we need them. The average NBA team is worth $2.48 Billion dollars and the entire league of 30 franchises is valued @ $120 billion. Over the last 10 years, the value of NBA teams increased by 390%. Since 2001, the increase in value of NBA teams has increased more than 10 times. By comparison, the St Louis Cardinals are worth $ 2.76 Billion.(that’s 10th in the league of 30 teams). The only team in the NL Central Division worth more is the Chicago Cubs @ $5.31Billion (that’s #4 in MLB).Couldn’t the Lou stand that kind of money floating around?

…still dribbling along with the NBA…. Every team in the NBA is worth at least $1.5 billion, the first time in league history. 14 NBA teams are worth over $2 billion. It is also the 8th year in a row with an average franchise value exceeding $1 billion. Over the last 10 years, the value of NBA teams increased by 390%. Since 2001, the increase in value has increased more than 10 times. Those stats staggered me!! Now….I don’t want to hurt the Cardinals feelings or  income but there is plenty of space for both sports.

…YOU PROBABLY THOUGHT – what happened to the Hawks?. Owner Ben Kerner, it seems, did not have real deep pockets. In 1956, he traded away his 1st round draft pick(#2 overall in the draft) to Boston. In that spot, the Celtics chose Bill Russell (yes….THE Bill Russell who led the Celtics to 11 NBA titles). The reasons for the trade are sad. The Hawks had no African-American players on their roster and Kerner wanted to keep it that way. 2nd, Kerner always liked to have a local star…so he obtained Ed Macauley (a St Louis U & SLUH product) & Cliff Hagan (a solid player but not a star) for the draft choice. Russell generally was regarded as the best amateur basketball player in the country (U of San Francisco) in the NBA draft on April 30, 1956. His value was raised because the Harlan Globetrotters were also making a “play” for Russell with some “big” money offers. Now on 1 hand, Macauley & Hagan DID lead the Hawks to their only NBA title in 1958. On the other hand, Russell became the star player & Coach of the Celtics for years. For you young guys…he was a player/coach at the same time for 3 years. Russsell was the key part of the Celtic who won 11 NBA titles in 13 years. Those 11 championship rings are the MOST that any player has EVER won in the NBA. Michael Jordan & Kareem Abdul-Jabbar each won 6 titles; Sam Jones (Celtic guard) won 10 titles. 8 Championship Rings were worn by these Celtics—Tom Heinson, KC Jones, Satch Sanders & John Havlichek. Michael Jordan won 6 rings in his career.

 …. When you hear “Washington University” (of St Louis)—YOUR THOUGHTS are probably something like…high tuition, high academic standards & smart students. What I don’t think of is their national titles! The Bears have won NCAA-III titles in 22 NCAA Division III Titles—1 in women’s outdoor track and field (2017), 1 in women’s indoor track and field (2017), 1 in women’s soccer (2016), 1 in women’s cross country (2011), 1 in men’s tennis (2008), 2 in men’s basketball (2008, 2009), 5 in women’s basketball (1998–2001, 2010) and 10 in women’s volleyball (1989, 1991–1996, 2003, 2007, 2009).

…When you hear the name Dick Allen…YOU PROBABLY THOUGHT of a talented batter who seem to always end up in uncomfortable situations…and you’re probably right! I can’t speak to those areas but I can point out his dazzling batting stats. Dick Allen played 15 MLB years, was an All-Star 7x, Lifetime batting average of .292 over 15 years. He was a League Leaders 2x in Home runs; 2x Highest OBP (on-base %); 3x-led league in OPS; scored 84 or more runs-7x in his career; was an All-Star 7x; was Rookie of the Year & received votes as league MVP 6x! I think he belongs in the HOF (as does the reader that sent it to me). His off-the-field gruffness, rudeness, poor social graces should not hold him back. He was a TRUE HITTER. In his 1 year stop in the Lou, he had an OPS (Onbase + slugging%) of .937. Last year the Cards had 3 batters over .800 with the highest at .826! He must have been course, shy, belligerent, etc off the field. But… the HOF isn’t for Saints….it’s for the best baseball players.

….As Always, I (and many others) enjoy reading YOUR thoughts. Maybe I woke back up some of those ol’ StL sports stories from the Hawks days.  Your opinions are always TRUE…maybe correct…maybe not…but they are YOUR opinions. Btw…if you want, just post your thoughts on my Facebook page (Bob Ryan) under this week’s Buzz. Or, send to me & I’ll do it. Thanks for your read. Relay this Buzz to your sports friends/family. Thanks!   Bob