Obviously! …. We hear this expression frequently…but what’s obvious to one isn’t always OBVIOUS to another. Speaking as a 40 year Math teacher…I can tell you first hand that being obvious to one has a lot to do with their background, interest and overall knowledge of the topic. What’s OBVIOUS to one…isn’t OBVIOUS to another often.
…The first comment HAS to be on the Billikens! Not so OBVIOUSLY …it was major blow-out against an SEC team! Demonstrating superior quickness to the basket and devastating 3-pt shooting, the Billikens broke the 100 point barrier as they crushed Univ of Georgia 102-77! St Louis U set the school record with its 29th win of the season. SLU scored 66 points in the paint! The Billikens really broke the game open with 11 baskets in a row during a 23-0 run just before halftime and stretched their lead to 67-32 with just over 15 minutes to play in the game. It was complete DOMINATION against this SEC team. The Billikens shot 58% from the field, 32% from beyond the arc and at one point of the game led by 40 points!!! WOW! Now, I don’t expect the Billikens to win the NCAA title but that win alone should help them in their recruiting this off-season. OBVIOUSLY this is a big boost for the program!!
…It’s OBVIOUS that the A-10 woke up the country in the 1st round of NCAA action. In addition to SLU knocking off an SEC team (Georgia), VCU’s win over a traditional powerhouse, N. Carolina, really pushed the respect of the A-10 conference way up!
…It’s OBVIOUS that the Cardinals & Blues are both “rebuilding”, “RESETTING” or whatever you want to call changing many players on your roster with the hopes of improving the win total at some point down the road. But we’ve seen different approaches.
…. In the 2026 Olympics which was filled with teams with the best hockey players in the world. It was OBVIOUS that each of the 5 Blues players belong there as they performed well, very well in some cases! The 5 Blues players played on 4 different teams. Jordan Binnington and Colton Parayko with Canada, Philip Broberg with Sweden, Dalibor Dvorsky with Slovakia and Pius Suter for Switzerland. Each seemed to contribute something positive for their country’s team. Probably, the most noticeable was Jordan Bennington who had struggled (current expression for playing poorly) some with the Blues. But, he was sharp throughout the Olympics. Those Olympic players, and an upturn from the younger, newly acquired players have seen the Blues play a higher level since the Olympics. Since March 1, the Blues hold a strong 6-2-0 record!!
…It’s not OBVIOUS what happened. Did the new scenery at the Olympics spark the players? the new coach? Did a little time away from each other, reignite the players upon their return? Who knows… but for whatever reason…it’s OBVIOUSLY been an improvement in play.
…While I don’t think that the Blues will be able to fight their way all the way back into a playoff spot in 25-26 season, it’s OBVIOUS that these younger players, should continue to improve due to more Ice-time @ the NFL level. This enhances their growth as players while painting an optimistic picture for the future of the Blues.
…It’s also OBVIOUS that the Cardinals will not contend in 2026. Their GM has made it clear that this will be complete rebuild(seemingly, he won’t use that word because it implies that we’re starting completely over) and that it takes a couple years (if you’re lucky) to accomplish. According to reports, this is the likely starting lineup on Day 1 of 2026 season. Pedro Pagés C; Alec Burleson 1B; José Fermín 2B; JJ Wetherholt SS; Nolan Gorman 3B; Jordan Walker RF; Nathan Church LF; Victor Scott II CF Yohel Pozo DH. I recognize Pages, Burleson, Gorman, Walker. I might add that none of them(except Burleson) proved that they could hit MLB pitching (at least yet). I do think that Gorman & Walker have a much shorter “lease” to demonstrate that they REALLY ARE MLB players this year.
…This is a totally different approach for the Cardinals. For decades, young players ready for the lineup were brought up gradually every couple years. Meanwhile, established veterans (often very good veterans) were acquired to “carry the club” while the youngsters matured along side them into true MLB players. It’s clear to me that John Mozeliak stepped aside when the Cardinals ownership unveiled their plans to him about “not going to try to win but build for the future”. Seemingly, this did not coincide with Mo’s view of how to run a ball club, so he stepped aside or, on the dark side, he was pushed aside!!
…And why not… It’s OBVIOUS that Mozeliak had piled together a tremendous resume. He came to the Cardinals in 1995 as an assistant to then-GM Walt Jocketty. From 2007-20025, he was the GM and president of baseball operations of the St. Louis Cardinals. During his tenure, Mozeliak’s Cardinals packed together 10 postseason berths, 2 National League pennants, and a World Series championship in 2011. He posted a franchise-record 15 consecutive winning seasons from 2008 to 2022. Further, his 1,521 wins are the most in the National League during that span.
…It’ OBVIOUS that it wasn’t all by drafting that the Cards won. MO made some fantastic trades….take a look… one of his first major moves was to obtain via a trade the very popular, iconic CF Jim Edmonds from the San Diego Padres for minor league third baseman David Freese on December 15, 2007. Edmonds posted several very strong years. But, many often forget that Edmonds dealt with injury issues his last 2 Cardinal years as he played just 110 & 117 games in 2006 & 2007 for the Cardinals. Combined he was paid $20 million for those 2 years. Sooo..that was a lot to swallow for the Cardinals with that salary. Nonetheless, MO was able to move him while he still had some value (although is value was clearly declining). It WAS the right time– the next year(2008) with 2 teams he batted .235. In 2009, he didn’t play because the felt like he hadn’t received a “good Offer” (his words..not mine).
…OBVIOUSLY, we NOW hear the other side of the story…. We can’t compete now with the Dodgers or the Mets or Chicago because they are the super large cities with larger wallets than the Cardinals. It makes me wonder how we did it all those many other decades??
…putting all that “talk” aside, WHAT are the KEY questions about the Cardinals as the 2026 season opens this week? Who will be the starting rotation? Will it be a 5 man/6 man rotation? On the other hand, who will emerge as the new closer? We have procured 6 different pitchers from Boston—OBVIOUSLY no coincidence, since that was Chaim Bloom’s previous team!
…Chaim Bloom is the new Cards leader. He comes from Boston where he was hired in 2019 with the goals of reducing payroll & getting under luxury tax threshold (sound familiar?). In his time there, Boston was 267-262 and finished in last place in 2 of his 3 full seasons. To me… it looks like more of the same here in St. Louis for the next few years. OUCH! I’m spoiled…I’m not looking forward to cellar-dwelling spots!! And… the Cardinals are also dealing with the move of STL society as many continue to move further & further away from the ball park. It makes trips to the “ol ball park” a much longer night (especially if you are “treating” the kids to a game). Sooo……many just skip it and the Cards attendance takes “a hit”. Further, the Cardinals decided to move away from “free” TV. I suppose that the possibility of making additional income through Pay-per-view was too much to pass up.
….OBVIOUSLY… It’s NCAA BASKETBALL TIME…sooo let’s take a look there…times have changed….I don’t understand how teams are chosen for the “Big Dance”. In my mind, no team that was held a sub .500 team conference record should be invited (no matter how tough their conference).
…Further, too often the total number of wins seems to become the main “selling point” of the team. From my view, too many teams (including our local teams) load up their December schedule with easy, often very one-sided wins, against overmatched opponents to fatten up their win total. The record sounds great….but is it really GREAT? I might add… I don’t blame the coach, glossy records help insure longevity and raises in pay. What would you do if YOU were in that spot?
….OBVIOUSLY the four #1 seeds are thought to be the four best teams in the tournament. Yet only TWICE has all four #1 seeds reached the Final Four. Ironically, last year was 1 of those 2 times!! In 2025, they were: Duke, Auburn, Florida, and Houston. The only other time was 2008 when it was Kansas, N. Carolina, Memphis & UCLA.
….Just Reaching the NCAA Tournament year after year is OBVIOUSLY a great tribute to the Head Coach & School. Take a look @ some of the best in this regard currently. Michigan St 1998-26(28 years); Gonzaga 1999-26; Purdue 2015-26; Houston 2018-26; Tennessee 2018-26; Kansas 2019-26. The All-Time record for most consecutive appearances is held by Kansas with 35 consecutive appearances, 1990..2025. Since the NCAA continues to expand the number of teams in the tournament on a somewhat regular basis, this current record by Kansas could really become very long!!
…OBVIOUSLY all good things must come to and end 😊 Well, thanks for your read & responses! Bob
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