A Sports FERRIS WHEEL! We’ve all been on a Ferris Wheel…probably at our school picnic. It goes UP & DOWN constantly.  So too in sports, teams & players are CONSTANTLY moving either UP or DOWN throughout the season.

….The Cubs have really been flying around the Ferris Wheel. They’ve gone up & down in a hurry. The Cubs own the  longest MLB winning streak in 2026 as they recorded a 10-game winning streak. Surprisingly, the Cubs took another long ride up the Ferris Wheel when they pulled off their second 10+ game winning streaks in the first 2 months of the season.

…The Mets had the longest downside of the Ferris Wheel as they rode it DOWNWARD in their   longest losing streak of the season—a 12 game streak!

…Moving UPWARD this month, St Louis City SC has raised our hopes with its play in the last month by winning some games. City’s record for the season is 4-1-1. It’s still a long season but the improvement in their record is encouraging.

…From Apr 27-May 2, The Cardinals took a QUICK ride UPWARDS as they led the league in Home Runs for that span of time with 10 home runs!! It sure seems out of character…but heh, it was good to see.

… Now, 2 months in the MLB doesn’t make you a star! But, it sure is great when your #1 pick of 2024 (7^th overall pick) has really exceeded most, not all, expectations for his first 2 months in the MLB in 2026. JJ Wetherholt as of today (June 3) has placed himself into several of the top batting spots in several categories. Take a look—266 at bats (1 behind the leader); #1 on the team in RUNS SCORED-40; tied with 2 others for 1^st place & in stolen bases with 7 SB’s. He’s 2^nd on the Cardinals in HITS (56), one behind the leader; in Home Runs (9), 2^nd in OBP  (on-base percentage) at .357. He’s #3 in a few other categories also. WOW! Sure, he’ll no doubt drop somewhat as the grind of the day-day-day season often wears down younger (not older) players who aren’t accustom to the MLB rigors.

… From my view, the Cardinals have found their 4-some of leaders for the next several years. Alec Burleson, Ivan Herrera, Jordan Walker & JJ Weatherholt. Any hopes of having “big years” in this decade will rely on this 4-some. It is the building blocks that the Cards future is based on.  Notice, there aren’t any pitchers. There must be a move UPWARD in the mound corps if the Cardinals desire a plentiful post-season record in the late 2020’s. With 40% of the teams now reaching MLB playoffs, just a couple veteran pitchers of the 2^nd level and a flexible, effective bullpen can push the Cards (or any team) into October play.

…While it’s not as crucial as it once was due to NIL payments & direct school payments, top notch recruiting from the High School ranks is essential for a strong program. According to 2026 Recruit SEC Football Composite Team Rankings, Mizzou had a “DOWN” recruiting year when compared to the other SEC teams. Mizzou was listed as 14^th in the 16 SEC team rankings. I guess that UPWARD movement in NIL money will be required in Columbia!

…There are many different ways to choose which conference is the best football conference in the NCAA. The two power conferences (SEC & Big 10) have moved UPWARD in the dominance in college football in recent decades. Since 2000, the SEC has won 15 NCAA Football championships, the Big 10-3 titles. Individually, Alabama has hoisted up the championship trophy FIVE times this millennium. In the same time frame, Ohio State & LSU, each have 3 championships. Twice each for Florida, Clemson, Georgia.

…With that backdrop- a tense relationship between these 2 conferences & all the other NCAA D-1 teams is developing. Is there really a surprise that the SEC & Big 10 are jointly( as conferences) discussing withdrawing from the current alignment. Basically, to break away from NCAA regulations. Unfortunately, I just see this gap widening. In a few years, I could see it happening.  My question is…how would it impact Mizzou?

…At least one person has a DOWNWARD feeling about that possible departure. Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard  “I said it three years ago — let them break away,” he told reporters Monday at a booster event in Des Moines. “I’d turn it around and say we should break away from them. Let ‘em go. But they have to go in all their sports and see how fun it is to play baseball and softball and track when it’s just the (34) of you. That’s what I think we should do, but I’m one person and that’s probably a little more draconian but that’s how I feel about it. Let’s quit talking about it. Quit threatening. Go do it. But if you’re going to do it, you don’t get to just do it in football and then keep all your other sports with us. No, take ‘em all. See how fun it is.” From my view, his points about all the other sports outside of football & Mens basketball could really become long, long trips for the non-revenue sports (don’t call them the “minor” sports).

…In the 2026 season, coming out of nowhere and skyrocketing UPWARD IS the biggest early-season surprise of the 2026 MLB season-Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ildemaro Vargas. The 34-year-old journeyman went through 8 different organizations and previously owned a career .646 OPS. However, in 2026, he’s stringing together a 24-game hitting streak, while he batted .404. My “gut” tells me that while it’s been an unbelievable in April & May, the MLB pitchers seem to “catch up” to everyone eventually. But…let’s wish him LUCK. He’s sure worked long & hard to reach these heights.

…Now that we’ve covered the SPORTS FERRIS WHEEL, some history on the FERRIS WHEEL itself. The 1st Ferris Wheel was designed by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. (that’s just one person😊) in 1893. It debuted at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. It’s design was incredible. It was a groundbreaking engineering feat, reaching 264 feet high and modeled after the structural principles of a bicycle wheel. Capacity: It featured 36 passenger cars, each the size of a train carriage, and could hold up to 2,160 people at once. That’s an unbelievable 60 people per car!! I wonder how long it took to go around once!!!

…WOW! Well…your ride has ended now… thanks for the time & read. Hope that this ride gave you an UPWARD feeling!!  YOUR responses on any part of the REWIND are always invited & enjoyed. Take an UPWARD approach to YOUR response.  Bob