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Week 2 of Football & a Sept week in the MLB had many  Football & baseball teams with SHINING MOMENTS. Now to the1^st topic

…Let’s start with the Mizzou win over Kansas. It was a SHINING MOMENT for Mizzou!  A good non-conference match-up for several good reasons-1) longtime rival  2) very similar to Mizzou in rebuilding the football program 3) Both teams have struggled in recent years–Mizzou has just 2 winning seasons in the last 5 years (In Coach Drinks first 3 seasons-Mizzou was NEVER over .500!) and Kansas has just 1 winning season since 2008.    4) Mizzou’s 2nd game provided “real” evaluations of players as the ball was moved up & down the field. Mizzou won it 42-31 over Kansas. Maybe not great defense but IT WAS an entertaining game for the fans. It provided the players & coaching staff a much better evaluation than the embarrassing blow-out a week earlier against Cen Arkansas. 5) The game itself was a very competitive non-conference game (just what both teams want in an early non-league game). MU went up 7-0, Kansas responded with 21 straight points. One of those TD’s was a pickup of MU QB (Beau Pribula) fumble for a TD. Mizzou eventually wore them down with their overall better talent. 6) MU had a very balanced attack– Beau Pribula threw for 334 yards with a red-hot % of 30 of 39 (77%) and 3 TD’s. MU’s offensive SHINING MOMENTS often came from Kevin Coleman & Jamal Roberts.  Running back, Jamal Roberts, ran for 143 yards, 1 TD. Kevin Coleman led the MU receivers with 10 receptions for 126 yards & 1 touchdown.

..BTW.. Coleman & Roberts were high school teammates at St. Mary’s! They led the Dragons to back-back state titles with many SHINING MOMENTS in those years.  SM won Class 3 title in 2021 then were moved up a class (despite no increase in enrollment) to class 4. The Dragons then won, again, the class 4A title in 2022. After that title, with no increase in students, St Mary’s was moved up to Class 5. Those 2 very, very special players elevated a good team to a great team. St Marys’ is STILL in Class 5 despite an enrollment far beneath the title years! It seems to me that Missouri State High School Activities Association (usually called “MSHSAA”) seems to look the other way when it comes to placing SM (and other winning private schools) in the appropriate class level years after their championship and all the players (including the stars) have graduated. In this case…they graduated several years ago.

…Staying local but switching sports, the SHINING GAME in the early College Soccer season schedule is the annual College Soccer rivalry match between St Louis U vs SIU-Edwardsville (Bronze Boot game) which was played Sunday.  Billikens won 2-1. Evan Howard scored his 3rd goal of 2025 season for the game winner with only 3:29 left in regulation play. St Louis U regained the Bronze Boot (prize awarded to the winning team each year). Since that match, St Louis U gained a spot in the National Poll @ #24. The Bronze Boot Game has been a “big” sports item in the Lou for years.

…These 2 schools faced each other for the 1^st time ever in an NCAA  1^st round match in 1969. The SLU Billikens won that game with a final score of 4–0. There were many SHINING MOMENTS in the early years of Men’s soccer for both of these programs. Many long-time soccer fans say the Billikens dominated the NCAA Men’s soccer better than any other school has dominated any sport. They won 10 NCAA D-1 championships between 1959 & 1973!!  

…A program that has been SHINING for years in the Lou but largely unnoticed is the Univ of Missouri-St Louis Women’s Volleyball Program. It’s been led by St. Louisan, Ryan Young (of course, I have to give his HS if I’m in St Louis-CBC) for 15 years now (including this year). Young has compiled a very impressive resume @ UMSL.He holds a lifetime mark of 283-141! He’s been the GLVC Coach of the Year-3x & led the Tritons to 13 of his 14 years into the GLVC Tournament. He’s developed 9 All-Americans @ UMSL. If you’re a volleyball fan, go ahead & check their schedule & watch them. You’ll enjoy it.

…The biggest college football upset of the week was Mississippi State as they upended Florida in an SEC game. There were many SHINING MOMENTS for Mississippi State. It had to really mean a lot for Mississippi ST since that were voted as the last place team in the 2025 media pre-season SEC poll!

… BTW…Mizzou was voted 12^th in that same SEC pre-season poll!! With those same SEC voters, Mizzou only had 2 players (O-line Cayden Green & WR Kevin Coleman) receive ANY spots on the 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd teams in the 2025 PRESEASON MEDIA DAYS ALL-SEC TEAM. Let’s hope the Tigers show those writers that they were wrong…badly wrong in their pre-season evaluations.

….I know it’s fall but…Cards baseball still “grabs” me.  I think the firing of Mike Schildt, which seemed to be in an emotional moment has been a major factor in the Cardinals slide. Schildt holds a SHINING RECORD of 252-199 — 56% winning percentage as the Cardinals manager. From the tiny bits & pieces that I’ve heard, it was a sudden, emotional disagreement between Schildt & Mozeliak at a post-season meeting that led to the dismissal. To give you an idea of how good that Schildt record is compare it to the great Tony LaRussa-54% wins; or Red Schoendienst 52% wins!! Granted, Tony & Red had many, many more years than Schildt. Schildt has still had many SHINING MOMENTS! Schildt @ San Diego in 2024 posted a 93-69 record and took them to the NL Division Series against the Dodgers, where they lost. Currently SD is 80-67 seemingly headed to the playoffs again. This isn’t by chance, Schildt has his own style & principals. Take a look at what baseball experts say about him:

1. Emphasis on fundamentals and details: Shildt introduced a philosophy of “winning on the margins,” focusing on excelling at the small details of the game, such as situational defense, base running, and executing plays in crucial moments. This approach was implemented through a revamped spring training routine with shorter, focused drills and daily “ball talk” sessions to discuss game situations and solutions. The Padres improved from an 82-80 record in 2023 to 93-69 in 2024, by winning more close games.
2. Creating a winning culture and accountability: Shildt focused on building a culture of communication, consistency, and accountability within the clubhouse. He established a players’ leadership council to help shape the team’s culture and foster a sense of ownership among the players. Players like Manny Machado have noted Shildt’s straightforward communication and caring attitude, which contributes to a positive environment.
3. Player development and relationships: Shildt’s background in player development has been an asset. He emphasized building relationships with players throughout the organization, from the minors to the majors, and ensures clear communication about expectations and routines. This focus aims to create a seamless transition for players moving up through the system and helps veterans mentor younger players.

… I realize that Ollie doesn’t have many quality players or SHINING MOMENTS as the manager. He also doesn’t have much managerial experience at a high professional level. He managed 4 years at Rookie or A-League levels(the lowest levels) but nothing else as a manager. But…he & the Cardinals knew that going in. Seemingly, like the roster, the Cards ownership looked for the least expensive managerial hire at the time.  From another point of view, another “old time” expression, holds true…you get what you pay for! Since the current Cardinals ownership doesn’t want to spend on players or a proven successful manager, how can we expect much more in the “wins” column.

… I do think Ollie has improved as a manager during his time. Ollie isn’t the reason that the Cardinals are NOT a “top flight” team. It’s the talent that he’s given by management. But…I’m just seeing his work during the game. I have no gauge for the pre-game prep he has for his team, his interpersonal relationships with star players, average players, rookies, his “control” of the team. All that plays a role in the confidence that the team has in him which impacts the personality of the team.

…Please don’t get fooled by the new MLB playoff system. Sure the 3 division winners belong there but now having 3 wild card teams per league means that 40% of the teams will now reach the playoff level!  40%–WOW!! Basically play 162 games to drop a bit more that half the teams from the playoffs?? Then play 1 or 3 or 5 games and move on or be eliminated. The weaker playoff teams have a better chance of winning in these short series.

…For a long time, there were many SHINING MOMENTS for the Cardinal fans.  I think the Great (and they are GREAT), Cardinal fans have spoken loudly by their absence from the ballpark. From 2000-2023, the Cardinals sold no less than 3,000,000 tickets a season and finished in the top group of teams in attendance almost every year. Currently, sitting bottom third in baseball in attendance this year has led to an unprecedented shift in fan support under the ownership of chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. It’s really stunning to see the thousands & thousands of empty seats. Some seats very close to the field are empty even of the season ticket holders (who can’t hardly give them away). Another concern by some is the safety of downtown St. Louis. It seems strange to me…at the same time, StL City has sellout crowds in a stadium across from the train station–also downtown!!?? Why no concern there? That’s a political question….out of my ball park!           

…But w/o many SHINING MOMENTS (LIKE WINS), the Cardinals ownership now looks to TV viewing sponsorships. However, it’s seemed to have dropped also. Through mid-July 2025, the team averaged 53,000 households per game on FanDuel Sports Network, the team’s new local broadcaster. This was up from the 50,000 households averaged during the 2024 season. However, these numbers are still far below the 66,000 households the team averaged in 2023.   Please leave a comment on any part of the Buzz.  Love to hear your take.  Bob