In the Sports World, Teams & Players often SPIN IN & OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHT. Let’s take a look…
…St Louis U Basketball is SPINNING RIGHT INTO THE SPOTLIGHT!  They hold a dazzling 19-1 (7-0 in A-10) record along with plenty of other sharp looking stats. They are currently ranked #24th in the AP National Poll as of late January 2026. Under HC Josh Schertz, the Billikens are pouring in 91.5 points per game! In all the team stats vs their opponents (collectively), the Bills hold a dominating lead….
These Team stats paint an accurate picture of their dominance, the Billikens average or total will be listed first: Scoring : 91.5ppg vs 66.9; FG%–52.1% vs 35.5%; Total Rebounds—861 vs 637; 3pt/game—11.0 vs 6.5.
…Individually, the Billikens have 6 players averaging double figures!  Robbie Avila leads the team with a 12.7ppg mark AND also is the team leader in ASSISTS WITH 80 assists. He’s not a point guard (if you haven’t seen them), he’s listed @ 6-10 & 240 pounds but usually plays on the perimeter. Despite his burly size, he handles the ball frequently, almost each possession. He came along with Coach Shertz from Indiana State.
…They are extremely entertaining to watch…if you haven’t seen them LIVE or on the Tube….check them out. As I’m writing this part of the REWIND ON Tuesday, there are only 8 tickets left for sale for the Dayton game this weekend!   That’s REALLY SPINNING INTO THE SPOTLIGHT!
…At the NFL level, it’s SUPER WEEK! IT SPINS INTO THE SPOTLIGHT at this time of each year!!  There’s no question the St Louis fans, who have been burned twice by itchy(may I say, “greedy”)  owners that yanked their team out of town, have seen some(maybe even, most) of their interest in the NFL slowly fade away. But…the SUPER BOWL does seem to “wake up” the football instincts of all football fans.
…A quick look @ Each team….
…Patriots 1) Seemingly, winning with their usual traditional Dominant Defense is the bread-butter of this team. They do it by winning at the line of Scrimmage which leads to halting sustained drives.( My thought is…control the line, you’re controlling the game) 2)QB Drake Maye brought a different set of attributes than many of his Pat QB   predecessors. He could use his legs more to turn possible sacks into gainers and did so repeatedly  in 2025. Further, he made some crucial 1^st downs on 3^rd down with his legs…including 65 rushing yards in the AFC Championship game. His legs often help him extend plays until he finds an open receiver downfield. 2) Winning Turnover Battle was a common theme for the Pats this season.  3) HC Mike Vrabel seems to have adopted some of Belichek’s traits. He emphasis discipline, leading the “nobody believes in us” mantra, they play “hard” on each play and are very adaptable, further their special teams, while not great, perform at a solid, stable level. The Pats have been in the SPOTLIGHT many, many times in the NFL playoffs. Of course, this is a different set of players.
….Seahawks bring in a different set of strengths. They put an elite defense on the field along with a high-scoring offense. As in all stingy defenses, they are led by a dominant front seven that brings a strong pass rush & a brilliant secondary. The couple chinks in their defense fortress poor tight end coverage (29^th in league) and inconsistent play against the run game.
…As in all strong NFL offenses, they are led by  star QB Sam Darnold and an elite receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The primary weakness seems to be their high turnover rate (31^st in league & occasional inconsistency in the run-game. Each seems to pop up on occasion. Overall, this has been a tremendous 2025 season for Seattle but….can they “finish it off” with a championship is another question.
….If I had to make a choice as a fan, I would choose the Seahawks. Not because I like them or don’t like them, but I think that their stats indicated more strengths on both sides of the ball for Seattle.
…Bouncing over to some Tiger Basketball….….At first glance, Mizzou basketball looks like it should be SPINNING in a NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT. Upon closer looks, yes…they did win their first 8 games but either the schools were a lower level or they don’t hold a +.500 record currently. So… some basketball fans had to note that in their evaluation of the Tigers thus far in 25-25 season.
….Seemingly NEVER In the SPOTLIGHT of SEC Mens Basketball is Texas A&M. Yet they sit on top in the SEC right now with a 6-1 conference record while holding a 16-4 overall record. This was a team that started the season with a very modest 3-2 record in the opening weeks of 25-26 Clearly, hopes weren’t flying high at that moment.  Then A&M piled up a 5 game winning streak, stopped by a loss to SMU only to pile together another win streak of 6 games! #24 ranked, Tennessee (a top 20 ranked teams) toppled them 87-82 but A&M  played them very competitively.  They have a long way to go…look at the standings below.
…It is far too early to be crowning A&M champion in the SEC Mens Basketball race. But, let’s put a SPOTLIGHT on the current top 3 spots in SEC Mens Basketball Standingsl. #1 is Texas A&M at 6-1 (16-4 overall). One game behind @ 5-2 in SEC is Arkansas, Kentucky & Florida; holding a 4-3 conference (only 2 games behind) are FOUR different teams (Mizzou, Vanderbilt, Georgia & Auburn). As always, February will sort out the players vs the pretenders.
… Always SPINNING in a SPOTLIGHT in St Louis in the Winter are the St. Louis Blues. A solid corps of hockey fans support them well each year. Right now, the Blues are definitely struggling as I write this REWIND. They sit in last place, with a record 19-25-9 = 47 points after suffering through a five-game losing streak, including a 5-4 shootout loss to the Kings and a 4-3 defeat to the Stars.
…. I’m not an expert to highlight all the Blues shortcomings…..I just hope that they “go on a streak” because that’s the only way that they could reach the Playoffs. I will say… I think we’ll really see some  serious “turnover” on their roster in the next off-season. I’m guessing right now, that either Thomas or Kyrou (or maybe even both) will not be wearing a Blues jersey in 26-27 season.’
 …Expectations vs Performance:  Thomas was projected by ESPN in the pre-season to score 19 goals & have 38 assists this year. Currently, he has 11 goals & 22 assists. 
…Jordan Kyrou.. Some Analysts viewed him as a potential 30+ goal scorer for a third consecutive season, with some bolder predictions even placing his ceiling higher, closer to 40+ goals and 80+ points. Currently in 25-26 season, he has 11 goals & 13 assists.
… Now both have suffered injuries of different sorts….but if the Blues are to ever move up  into the SPOTLIGHT of the league, their two offensive “stars” must perform better, much better, or be moved for quality players.
…Their $8.125 million per year deal runs all the way through 2030-31. From my view, l hope that the Blues DO move them along but it’ll be very challenging with their current numbers.
… It’s NOT IN THE SPOTLIGHT right now…. But…I hope that it’s not the continuation of the Fire Sale like the Cardinals—it takes years to recover from those type of FIRE SALES—unloading all your best players due to their salaries.  Wouldn’t it be really brutal to have the Blues & Cardinals, both, at the same time, in a complete “RESET”, “REBUILD” mode at the same time? Whatever you want to call it…sending out a team with only a very, very limited chance for realistically seeing post-season action is difficult to get “excited” about during the 6 month season. With The MLB now taking 40% of the teams into the playoffs, it’s really not that impossible to form a roster that competes for those spots. However, I don’t see the Cardinals stepping in that direction. On the other hand, the Blues have always fought the money of the Big Cities challenge with lots of judicious signings that often included a proven player or 2.
….Time for me to SPIN OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHT! Thanks for your time & read! Pass the word to family &/or friends. Bob