It’s COLD and snowy outside but the sports World is RED HOT.  There is all kinds of RED HOT talk from current situations ….take a LOOK.

…lets start with Mizzou Mens Basketball…they are RED HOT this years. Last year, in his 2^nd year. HC Dennis Gates saw  the Tigers finish with an 8-24 record..ugh!!  That followed his 1^st season record of 25-10. With the same Coach, Dennis Gates, Mizzou now holds a 14-3 record for 24-25 season…including a win on the Road against #5 rated, Florida! Not much “love” is being given to the Tigers locally. Maybe, it’s because there isn’t any players from Missouri. There are 3 players from KC area who reside in Kansas …. Sooo…those might be counted as “locals”? There isn’t a super star but 4 players who average over 10 ppg. The Tigers haven’t received any votes for the Top 25 nationally yet? Check out the RED HOT Tigers as they dive deeply into SEC play now.

…with the NCAA Football 1^st ever Championship Football Game on Monday between Ohio State & Notre Dame, there is all kinds of RED HOT talk about the game. My prediction, I’m not an expert..just a fan, is Ohio State over ND. I think Ohio State has a more skilled set of running backs & receivers. It really is two of the “Bluebloods” of college football in this championship game.

…It’s winter…sooo..let’s look @ some NHL RED HOT players.  Leading the league in goals at this moment is Leon Draisaitl (EDM)-30. He also has 33 assists which makes him the NHL leader in points (64). The Blues player with the most goals is Jordan Kyrou with 19 goals. That puts him  in an eight way tie for 20^th spot in scoring goals. New Head Coach Jim Montgomery made the comment shortly after being hired that the Blues need to take more shots. Stats prove him exactly right.  Kyrou is also the team leader in shots (tied for #19) with 132 shots. As a team, the Blues are 21^st in the NHL (32 teams) in shots attempted.

…Who are the RED HOT Blues players in the minors?  Dalibor Dvorsky-drafted 10^th OVERALL in 2023 draft! He has 12 goals/10 assists in 29 games this year.  Drafted in the same’23 draft-1^st round, 13 spots later was Jimmy Snuggerud. Hopefully, if they continue to develop and adjust to professional hockey, the Blues will see them next year

…Seldom will you find the NBA mentioned in the Buzz.  But…when looking for RED HOT players in the NBA, St. Louis native– Jason Tatum sticks out! First of all is his durability! He ranks 6th on this durability list with an average of 89.43 games played per year over seven full seasons. Tatum is a true anomaly as he is one of just two current players on this top 39 list, only LeBron James at 35 (84.71 games per season) makes this durability list!!  Further, Tatum is 4^th in the NBA in scoring, tied for 7^th in 3pt baskets, & 11^th in Free Throws attempted. I was fortunate enough to know his Dad (Justin Tatum) & his friend, Larry Hughes, while I was teaching. Justin currently is coaching a team in Australia (Illawarra Hawks )–Small world!! No…I didn’t teach English (I’m sure you already figured that out)… I taught Math!

…How about looking down the road for the StL Cardinals top prospects.  Having a RED HOT  winter season for the Cards this year was César Prieto- an infielder. Although he seems a bit old to me…a 25-year-old Cuban is a contact specialist who has always hit, and he’s tapped into more power since arriving in the Cardinals system via a deal with Baltimore at the 2023 Trade Deadline. This winter is no different. He played in 12 games for Aguilas last winter and has already suited up in 11 for them this year, hitting .318 with 14 hits in that limited action.

…You may not have realized it (I didn’t)… that Brendan Donovan was the “RED HOT” batter for the Cardinals in 2024. In 2024 he led the Cardinals’ in hits (163), batting average (.278), on-base percentage (.342), OPS (.759), Doubles (34) while ranking second in slugging (.417) & RBI’s (73).Donovan was also 3^rd  on the Cards in extra base hits!! Btw….I would have never guessed that the Cards team leaders in RBI’s was Alec Burleson with 78 ribbies!

….A Cardinal pitcher drawing some RED HOT interest is Luis Gastelum, RHP. He was signed out of Mexico as a 21-year-old in 2023, Gastelum had a breakout year at Single-A Palm Beach this year and has continued pitching well this winter. The right-hander’s best pitch is his changeup, and he’s used it effectively in a large sample this winter, pitching to a 1.37 ERA in 19 appearances for Los Mochis and recording 28 strikeouts in 19 ⅔ innings. He sounds like a relief pitcher to me.   While the Cardinals seem “RED HOT” on these guys, both seem old to me to just be reaching the MLB (which they may or may not do this year). I’m always skeptical about their true “age”. Heck, I’d do the same thing to make myself more valuable. This is their WAY OUT of poverty.

…the International Bonus Pool Money will be used for International Signing Day. This form of acquiring players is becoming “RED HOT”.  The Cardinals have $5,646,200 remaining in this International pool. 8 teams have $7,555,500 left to spend on this day. Is this a waste of time…not really. In 2024 there were 264 international players on MLB rosters! Sooo…the MLB is cultivating talented players from the international Pool, seemingly it’s getting more & more RED HOT as a place to find future MLB players. There are 750ish players on the MLB rosters.

…sitting on a RED HOT seat is Indiana Mens-Basketball Coach- Mike Woodson. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the game against Illinois. In a home game against Illinois last week, echoes of “Fire Woodson” rained down from the student section as Hoosiers fans  made their thoughts known as they called for his ouster in an eventual 25-point loss to No. 19 Illinois – the team’s 2nd-largest loss since Assembly Hall opened in 1971. That dropped Indiana to 13-5 and 4-3 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers trailed by 30 points in parts of the 1^st half and gave up 60 points in the 1^st half. Some Indy observers noted that the team seemed to play in an uninspiring, and downright shockingly, they seemed to play in a half-hearted way in front of their own home crowd. That RED HOT SEAT is burning  with more heat right now in Indiana.

….we always hear about How good the SEC football is when compared to other conferences.  Well…check out the RED HOT SEC Mens Basketball teams… the SEC has 4 of the top 6 ranked teams currently! Auburn is #1, Alabama #4 @ #5 Florida, #6 is Tennessee. Sooo…don’t break your fall habit of “setting up shop” on your favorite chair in the TV room during basketball season. You’ll probably see at least 1 of these 4 each week on the tube.

…well…let’s talk about RED HOT SEC football right now. The process of signing HS players has been taking place. Signing the best & the most HS/Jr College players usually makes you a strong team. The very good schools get the best of the premier players in addition to a plethora of very good players. So….. Which school had the #1 rated signing class this year? It’s Texas! The Longhorns  have been RED HOT! The Longhorns have signed 24 players—5 are rated as 5-star players; 14 are rated 4 star players and 6 are 3-star players. Losing in the national semifinals this year, Texas looks to be “reloading” for 2025 season. Oregon was ranked #2 primarily on the basis of flipping 5-star cornerback Na’eem Offord from Ohio State, and also secured wide receiver Dallas Wilson.  SEC powerhouse-Georgia landed 16 of ESPN’s TOP 300 commitments, including top recruits like DL Elijah Griffin, LB Isaiah Gibson, and LB Zayden Walker. Good signings make good players (usually) that end up in Good Seasons!

….Well….my typing keys are getting “RED HOT” soooo…I’m signing off. Thanks for your comments each week. It REALLY is fun to read YOUR reactions. Have a good week!  Bob