Bernie Bits: Dennis Gates and Stormin’ Norman, STL City SC, Blue Notes, Tatum Heats Up.
BERNIE BITS The Missouri Tigers have a three-game winning streak going, and they’re doing it the Stormin’ Norman way. That’s right. I’m referencing Mizzou coaching legend Norm Stewart. His teams were tough. They’d fight you for 40 minutes … or for as long as it took...
Bernie Bits: Blues Stink, National Praise for St. Louis City SC, Mizzou’s Happy Hooping, Updated Cardinal Prospect Rankings, Tarasenko Getting Ripped in NYC.
BERNIE BITS — Update: The Blues still stink on ice. In their six games since making the trade that sent Ryan O’Reilly to Toronto, the Blues haven’t won a game but did collect two points via overtime. They’re 0 for 22 on the power play. At five-on-five they’ve had a 41...
Bernie On The Blues: The End of an Era Includes Snakes In The Locker Room.
The End of an Era doesn’t have to be graceful and classy. But you hope that it can be steady. Sometimes it’s just time to move on, with a natural if disappointing transition from good to bad, with familiar-favorite players being eased out or traded to clear room for a...
Bernie On The Blues: Doug Armstrong Makes The Decisive First Moves To Build a Better Future.
Thank you for everything, Ryan O’Reilly. Good luck, Vladimir Tarasenko. And a round of enthusiastic applause for Blues manager Doug Armstrong. He’s making trades without blinking, or lapsing into sentimental bunkum that would leave the Blues drifting deeper into...
Bernie: The Blues Traded The Ghost Of Vladimir Tarasenko. That’s A Start, But Don’t Stop Now.
Who won the trade? My answer: That’s a stupid question. In the belated fulfillment of a trade request that caused controversy and a considerable amount of caterwauling, the Blues gave Vladimir Tarasenko a ticket to midtown Manhattan for the opportunity to find a new...
Bernie On The Blues: Coming Soon, The End Of An Era.
The Blues are on break until returning to game action on Feb. 11. They’re having a good rest, which kind of describes the intensity of their effort in recent weeks. The Note is 23-25-3 for a points percentage (.480) that ranks 25th among the 32 NHL teams. They swerved...
Bernie on the Blues: Enterprise Center has Turned Cold and a Rebuild is On The Way
The Blues should scram and run away from home. Enterprise Center has turned into a scary place for them this season, and the latest homestand became the site of the latest debacle. After defeating Calgary in overtime in the first of seven consecutive games in their...
Bernie Bits: Cardinals Farm System and Prospects Continue To Receive National Praise.
BERNIE BITS The Cardinals continue to receive plaudits for their farm system and player development. Here’s the rundown: — Zachary D. Rymer of the Bleacher Report rated the Cardinals at No. 3 in his offseason farm-system rankings. “Breakout seasons from Tink Hence,...
Bernie: The Blues’ Losing Record At Home Isn’t a Fluke. It’s the Reality Of Who They Are.
The Blues will try to protect the castle again on Monday night when Ottawa visits Enterprise Center to test The Note’s vulnerability on home ice. This topic is now A Thing to be discussed. And why not? The Blues have dropped two in a row at the home rink and are...
Bernie: The Bandwagon Is Loading Up and Rolling. And Only the Blues Can Wreck It Up.
Is it time to load up the Blues-colored bandwagon? This season it’s been pretty quiet on there, with a shortage of passengers, no party balloons, and many complaints. Not exactly the Delmar Loop trolley, but I digress ... As I keep saying, don’t waste your time trying...