Dear Bob, III

It’s been a few years since we “caught up” with our Dear Bob postings…Sooo..here goes..

…Dear Bob, I’m really excited about Mizzou football in ’24! This could be the YEAR that the Tigers make it into the final 8!  Troy

…Dear Troy, I love your enthusiasm about the Tigers! They were ranked #11 in the USA in a recent poll.2024 should be exciting. But… remember, the Tigers won several close games last year– Mid Tennesse 23-19,  K-State 30-27, Memphis 34-27, , Florida 33-31. A couple of those tight wins came off the strong foot of Harrison Mevis. Mevis banged through a 61 yd FG over K-State to win that key game. Two 5-star kickers will be battling for his job. I do think the Tigers will be good but …always a but.. the defense has some holes to fill, Mevis is gone, on positive side–Cook is back with Lurther Burden—that’s a great starting spot. I think that the offense will still score points but will the defense match the ’23 season? Thanks Troy for the note!

…Dear Bob, I’ve never been into gambling. Don’t like it! But, it seems that sports gambling is inching closer & closer to being “open” for everyone at anytime, anyplace. Is that right?  Elmer

…Dear Elmer, You’re right! On-line gambling or as its called now– “I-gaming” is sweeping through the USA. Gamblers don’t want to use the word “gamble”—it carries some baggage. Of course, since it’s on-line, the age of the “bettor” becomes irrelevant. States are boosting their revenue with increased I-gaming opportunities. 29 states that have already authorized online sports betting. iGaming – digital versions of casino games – continues to gain traction, albeit somewhat slower than sports betting’s meteoric rise. It could expand in several key states in the near future. Here are a couple trends to look out for in 2024: more & more use of your cell phones to make “in game” bets; betting agents to be available on campus throughout the week & game day. Personally, I think it’s a dangerous trend. Thanks for the note, Elmer!

…Dear Bob, Everything is going electronic…why can’t sports?  Shouldn’t the 1^st down be measured electronically from above in press box? I’m sure that officials, despite their best efforts, may be off an inch or 2 as they moved the ball from the sidelines to the hash marks. Anthony

…Dear Anthony, I do think that it would be more precise. Would fans/players be willing to have the length of the game extended even more in trade for this exactness?  Maybe they would…let the NFL use it during pre-season games for find out 1^st hand the pro/cons.  Bob

…Dear Bob, I’m reading that John Mozeliak is on his way out, is that right? Fred

….Hi Fred, well…those are the rumors. Of course when a team has been non-competitive in their division (which is the weakest division) for 3 years now. Change must occur. I’m puzzled, Ollie still seems to be the “golden boy” and Mo the “fall guy”. Mo has to stay within the tight financial boundaries established by the DeWitts. If most other teams are elevating their salary and the Cardinals are not doing so at the same rate… a gap in talent between the teams widens.  Tentative plans had Mo’s contract ending after 2025. But….if the Cards falter in August/Sept, Mo could see the “exit” door this year. Also, it appears that Goldy is out the door after this year when his contract expires. Thanks  Fred for the note! Moving on….

….Dear Bob , let’s stay with the Cardinals…..Nolan Arenado has a problem!!! His body language is bad, his energy is bad,  his play  is bad on many days, he’s not what we expected..or I guess – not what he expected either! Whatta think Bob?  Eddie

….Well Eddie, there’s a lot of what you said this hits the target. Arenado did agree to come to the Lou for several reasons. 1st of all he wanted to play on a winning team. (That’s fizzled). He also demanded substantial contracts.  He receives $24,000,000 for 2024. Now $24m isn’t the highest in the league, but….for 99%  of Americans, it’s a dream. But, that’s not all, In 2025, he’ll receive $21m; ’26-$16m and finally in 2027-$15m. It was a 5 year deal worth $144m!! From my eyes, he isn’t hustling, has very poor body language, he appears to be unhappy. Not what you expect from 1 of the highest paid players on your team.  If the Cards don’t make key moves to become a contender this off season, he’s gotta go. He’s not the same player with the same attitude that he showed in 2021. Frankly, at his age, I don’t see him “turning it around” on the field, in the dugout, in warm ups, etc, etc. Sooo, lets “turn him around” towards the door!! However, the last couple days, he has contributed offensively. (when he does, they usually win)Thanks Eddie!  Just like Arenado….we’re Moving on…

…Dear Bob, your thoughts on City SC this year? Malik

…Great Question Malik! As I write this, City is 4-10-11 (4 wins, 10 losses, 11 ties) in 13^th place of he 14 team division. They are a .500 team @ home with a 4-4-5 record. But, on the road, it’s been a struggle. City is 0-6-6 as the visitor.  Ouch!!  From afar, it appears that City is already shuffling players. Some of their better players (with high contracts) are being moved. Of course, weaker players who didn’t perform up to expectations are being shipped out. It’s been a very, very painful year @ City Park.  Expect many, many more moves by the management. Malik, they understand that winning soccer is expected in the Lou. Thx for the note.

…Dear Bob, Whatta think about the Blues signing Bannister?  Damon

…Well.. Damon, hockey coaches come & go with a lot frequency. Right now, the Blues are staying with Bannister. He appeared to be a  good coach  to me. He communicated as players about strategy when they returned to the bench (not waiting until between periods). He seemed to have the respect of the players (as much as we can tell on TV) But….ya gotta win in the NHL each year or you usually get the “boot” if you fail for a couple years. A Stanley Cup title seems to buy the Coach 2 or 3 additional years.   But…not much more than that.. remember Craig Berube!

..Dear Bob, what about the Paris Olympics? They’ve dominated sports TV for weeks now. Warren

….Thanks Warren for the note. You’re right, the Olympics with 329 events in 39 different sports and the huge time difference between Paris & the Lou seems to make it easy to watch (even if they are on replay because I haven’t seen the results yet). As I write this, the USA leads in Gold Medals with 31 and has won 103 Total Medals. Tops in both categories with China on our tails in 2^nd place in both categories. The skill level, intensity, determination is a sky-high levels for each participant. I’m still amazed by their speed & size of the athletes, the coordination of the skill sports, the precision in their work!  It’s easy to forget that these athletes have been working not months…but years… to reach Paris.

…Don’t know if you saw it Warren, the Mens Basketball Final was something. The USA using a professional roster (including our own-Jason Tatum) won the championship 98-87. But the games was much closer than that final score. Stephen Curry really put on a show in the last minute of the game. He hit several 3-pointers…some way, way beyond the arc, others while he was falling backwards or sideways and always with a defender as close as he could get to Curry. The World is definitely catching up with the USA in basketball (we used to send college players for years but …that won’t win it any longer)

… Occasionally, there’s a goof. The USA 4×100 (relay team each running 100 meters) really goofed. They fumbled around the handoff so much so that they were out of the passing zone by the time the handoff took place & were disqualified. I had mixed feelings. I felt very badly for these runners but very aggravated with them & their coaches for not having mastered a handoff. This particular race relies on 3 precision handoffs. If its “off” a little, it still leaves a huge negative after-effect. They had weeks to practice it!  UGH!!!!

….Staying on the Olympic ideas… I’m happy to see that professionals are allowed to play. All of the Olympians should be paid by their country. The USA was probably the only country, naively,  that thought that they could play amateurs and compete against the best in the world who had no pay restrictions, as far as I could determine. Thanks Warren for leading us into the Olympics 😊

…Dear Bob, what happened to the Braves?  They’ve really fallen off the table?   Henry

… Good question Henry!  As I write this, the Braves have lost 5 straight games!! 3 losses to Milwaukee (who’s leading our division) and unbelievably, 2 losses to Miami– losing last night 7-0 to the Marlins!!! For 2024, they are 60-54, 3^rd place. Injuries to very important leaders on the team in batting–Ronald Acuna Jr & pitching–Spencer Strider have really stymied the movement of the Braves. How many teams could lose their best batter & best pitcher and remain at the same high level? As I write this, they are 7 games behind Philly for 1^st place, yet still clinging on to the 3^rd playoff spot with a ½ game lead over the Mets. Thx Henry for the note!

….Well….I’m leaving my “Dear Bob” desk now. Thanks for reading & responding. I’m ALWAYS looking to add readers….so, please pass the word. Bob