A recent column about Whitey Herzog prompted a wide range of comments. The Whitey admirers and haters came out of the woodwork. A couple readers admitted that while they liked the column, but disagreed with the idea that Herzog belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Herzog, who managed the Cardinals to a World Series title in 1982 and two more National League pennants in 1985 and 1987, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame July 25 in Cooperstown.

I think he does belong in the Hall of Fame. Numbers aside, character is an issue here as well. We may not like it, but that’s the fact. If character is keeping Pete Rose and Mark McGwire out of the Hall of Fame, it stands to reason that character helped get Whitey into the Hall.

Whitey Herzog is certainly a character – few would argue that point. But the pride of New Athens, Ill. has plenty of character too.

Thoughts? Comments?

DISCLAIMER TIME: I am not a Rush Limbaugh fan. I’m far from being one, actually. Limbaugh’s views are polar opposites from my views. To be honest, I haven’t listened to him on purpose since the early days of his nationally syndicated talk show. Once I figured out what he was all about (it didn’t take long), my radio’s dial was permanently switched. One of my favorite books is “Rush Limbaugh is a Big, Fat Idiot” written in 1995 by future Minnesota Senator Al Franken.
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I never thought there was a way the NFL would allow Rush Limbaugh to be part of a Rams ownership group. Judging from the negative reaction, I was correct.
It’s not a pity that Limbaugh won’t be an owner of the Rams. I’m relieved about that. But it’s a pity if Limbaugh was rejected for his views.
If it was all about political correctness, it was wrong. Political views shouldn’t be a litmus test for ownership in the NFL. If you polled the NFL owners, you would likely find most of them to be as right wing as Limbaugh. The big difference is that most of them keep quiet.
Rush isn’t quiet. He’s made his name – and his money – by being anything but quiet.
And therein lies the rub. This rejection was for more than just his views. It’s how Limbaugh spews those views. He has shoveled plenty of fertilizer with a national audience listening five days a week. He has been divisive and he’s a lightning rod for negativity.
The NFL doesn’t want an owner who was investigated for illegally obtaining prescription painkillers. They also don’t want someone who once sang “Barack The Magic Negro” on his radio show.
The NFL is the best public relations-conscious outfit going. And once the league licked its index finger and put it in the air, it was clear a relationship between the league and the conservative radio talk show host was not going to work.
In the end, it was Dave Checketts who did the dirty deed. He announced Wednesday that Limbaugh was being removed from a group bidding to buy the St. Louis Rams. Checketts, a smart businessman, was well aware that his attempt to buy the Rams would not be approved as long as Limbaugh was a part of the group.
Checketts, owner of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues and Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer, may have demonstrated a lack of backbone by dropping Limbaugh, but he also showed he’s serious about wanting to own the Rams – and probably keep them in St. Louis.
Limbaugh is going to come out a winner in all this. He’ll have enough to talk about in his radio show for a while. He and his ditto heads can nod their heads about the liberals and the media conspiring to shoot down his being part of the potential ownership group.
Limbaugh said on his radio show that Checketts approached him about being part of the group bidding for the Rams. He also said, “This is not about the NFL, it’s not about the St. Louis Rams, it’s not about me. This is about the ongoing effort by the left in this country, wherever you find them, in the media, the Democrat Party, or wherever, to destroy conservatism, to prevent the mainstreaming of anyone who is prominent as a conservative.
“Therefore, this is about the future of the United States of America and what kind of country we’re going to have.”
Oh, please -spare me. Evidently, I haven’t missed much the last 21 years by not listening.

The word earlier this week out of Florida was that varsity sports schedules are being cut – can Illinois be far behind?

Monday, the Florida High School Athletic Association board of directors reduced varsity games by 20 percent and sub-varsity (JV and freshman) games by 40 percent for the next two school years.
The policy will affect every sport except top moneymaker football, which will allow a maximum of 10 varsity games per school, and competitive cheerleading. Junior varsity football was cut from eight games to six.

Prep football in Illinois, while indeed a big deal, isn’t as big as in Florida or Texas. In fact, I’m not sure the sport would qualify as the same moneymaker as Florida football.

Times like these make you put it all into perspective. Sports are a very important part of high school life. Quality teachers, books and finding the best ways to help the majority of students learn are even more important.

Let’s hope we don’t have to choose from any of them. However, I can see conference realignments as well as sub-varsity teams and schedules being reduced. For instance, in the not-too-distant future, you may see the elimination of the familiar junior varsity-varsity basketball nights at your favorite high school. Instead, those nights might feature a varsity girls basketball game and a varsity boys game. The junior varsity could be eliminated in favor of a freshman-sophomore squad.

Here’s hoping the choices that have to be made don’t hurt the students much. After all, they’re why we do it, right?

This is a touchy subject, what with the Alton School District in some financial straits these days, but wouldn’t it be great to see an artificial playing surface at Public School Stadium?
Before you laugh yourself into a conniption fit, consider:
An artificial surface field at PSS would save money in the long run and make it easier to play contests in nasty weather.
Synthetic playing surfaces used to be reserved for professional or major college venues, but that is far from the case now. In the Metro East alone, plastic grass is popping up nearly as fast as dandelions.
O’Fallon High School and McKendree University have artificial surfaces at their football fields. Within the past year, Edwardsville High and SIU Edwardsville have added synthetic surfaces.
It took about eight weeks to install the turf at EHS. It took place in May and June of last year.
Artificial turf is far from cheap – the surface at the Edwardsville District 7 Sports Complex cost in the neighborhood of $700,000. But it will pay for itself in the long run. Fewer maintenance costs, the ability to schedule multiple events close to each other and playing games immemdiately following a downpour make prospect attractive.
Public School Stadium in Alton is one of the sharpest looking high school stadiums around. It was constructed in the 1950s and its bowl shape, top-level entrance and atmosphere make it a great place to enjoy a prep football game or track meet.
The synthetic track that was installed at PSS several years ago was a great step forward – a logical second step would be an artificial playing surface.
The life span of synthetic fields is somewhere between 10 and 15 years. When they do need to be re-installed, the cost would about half of the initial cost because the foundation, base, and drainage system would be re-used.
In addition to increasing playable hours, synthetic fields have several other benefits over natural turf fields. They provide a superior, flat, level playing surface. They are safer on which to play – no holes to turn ankles or clumps of grass of dirt to trip a player.
With a synthetic field, a plethora of football and soccer games could be scheduled there, as well as practices for the AHS Marching 100 without fear of damage to grass. The scheduling nightmares that come with weather-related cancellations would be lessened and I’m sure Alton High athletics director Scott Harper and Marquette A.D. Jerry Montague would be grateful. And with soccer being played at PSS instead of Gordon Moore Park, the schools would have more of a say-so about weather conflicts.
On a recent cold, blustery, rainy day, baseball, softball and soccer games were cancelled all around the St. Louis area – except at Edwardsville High. With their “Tiger Turf,” the folks at EHS were able to get in in a girls soccer game against O’Fallon. It was one fewer game for which to try and find a makeup date.
The State of Illinois needs to make good on its payments to Alton before any of this is considered. And, of course, the most important issues are educating students and well being able to recruit (and keep) the best teachers possible.
In a perfect world, the state catches up on what it owes, the district decides to install synthetic turf and all is well.
Sometimes you have to step over a dime to pick up a dollar.

The Illinois House unanimously passed a bill last week that would implement random drug testing for high school athletes across the state. If the State Senate OKs the bill and Gov. Quinn signs it – it’s law.

An Illinois plan last fall joined Illinois with Florida, New Jersey and Texas and is funded in part by the Illinois High School Association. florida has already dropped out of that plan because of a lack of funds.

The new Illinois bill would propose testing 1,000 more student-athletes per year from 25 percent of Illinois high schools. The IHSA-funded program that’s in place already tests between 750 and 1,000 athletes, but only during postseason.

The new tests cost about $100 each and would come from adding $50 to fines to Illinois drug convictions.

Even though most of the IHSA tests have come back negative, there evidently are those who feel more is needed. It’s sad they feel that way.

In these tough economic times, isn’t there a better way to spend our money?

Word on Wednesday that Vancouver will receive a Major League Soccer expansion franchise came as no surprise. But what is supposedly transpiring in Portland, Ore. is, at least to me.
According to reports, plans are under way there for a Friday announcement that Portland will receive the second of the two 2011 franchise – instead of St. Louis. Although the official “no comment” is the word of the day so far, it’s reported that the league has reserved several rooms at a Portland hotel for league officials who will be there for the announcement.
If all this pans out, it will leave Jeff Cooper’s St. Louis Soccer United group – which has worked feverishly for a team – out in the cold. Again.
There are plans for a sparkling soccer stadium near Collinsville and St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch has flexed its muscle in the expansion process. But despite having had all its ducks in a row for a while now, SLSU may be told to wait – once more – for a possible team.
Bear in mind that nothing official has happened yet. But if Portland indeed gets the next expansion team, it brings up several questions – for Cooper’s group as well as questions about the league.
Does SLSU keep up the good fight and strive for a team in the next round? Or should St. Louis instead pull back a bit and go for a team in the second-tier United Soccer league with a somewhat smaller-scaled soccer stadium in Collinsville with the idea of moving “up” to the MLS later and adding on to the stadium?
But before we get ahead of ourselves, we need to see what happens. If St. louis gets a team, fantastic. But if it’s left out this round, the best thing the city and its supporters can do is work harder, support the St. Louis Athletica when the Women’s Professional Soccer team makes its debut next month, and show MLS that the city deserves a team.
Cooper’s still hard at work and I expect him to remain in that mode. The man deserves the praise and heartfelt gratitude of St. Louis soccer fans for all his efforts.

Hopes for an Major League Soccer franchise for St. Louis rise and fall like the tide. High tide, low tide, in-between tide. Jeff Cooper’s St. Louis United group is doing a great job selling the city, its soccer tradition, its stadium site and its investment group.
Well, at least they’re doing a great job selling the first three. As for the investment group, it seems the league brass want more billionaires. At least that’s their current song. But from here, it’s off-key.
It looks like just another hurdle thrown in SLSU’s path by MLS. The league seems bent on making life difficult for Cooper’s group.
Whatever the case, Cooper keeps plugging away. Once part of the SimmonsCooper law firm of East Alton, he’s devoting all his attention now to getting a men’s pro soccer team for St. Louis. Last time we checked, the decision on two expansion cities was going to be made in late March, but that may be set back again. Cooper’s got a stadium deal, he’s got a blue-ribbon group of investors (including Albert Pujols), but there’s no guarantee MLS won’t look the other way and give the two teams to Portland, Oregon, Vancouver or Ottawa.
When Anheuser-Busch transferred ownership of its 27-year-old soccer park to SLSU last week, some media types exclaimed A-B was getting into the expansion race and Collinsville has a rival for the stadium.
Not true. Of course, SLSU will look into the feasibility of placing its 18,000-seat stadium at the site in Fenton, Mo., but the real plus behind the brewery getting involved was just that – it’s involved. A major sponsor of MLS, A-B just flexed its muscle a little and that can’t hurt.
From here, it looks like Vancouver could be a lock for one of the teams – the league wants more exposure in Canada. So, it could boil down to St. Louis vs. – Portland?
If Portland gets a team instead of St. Louis, there will be a lot of head-shaking going on among the old-time soccer folks in town – and I’ll be leading the way.
Cooper refuses to get caught up in the “this town vs. that town” talk. Always a barrister, he’s quick to point out the strengths of the league, the efficiency of its management and its expansion process in general.
Here’s hoping it’s well-deserved praise.

Given something to cheer about, St. Louis fans can rock a stadium with the best of ‘em.
But evidently, folks like Richie Incognito seem to think it’s fans’ job to cheer blindly – even for a mediocre team.
Incognito, a burly offensive lineman for the Rams came out recently with some harsh criticism for Rams fans. He said he welcomed a stadium half-full of Bears fans this Sunday because at least there would be SOME noise.
Now, I’m not one to pick a fight with somebody capable of making minced meat of me, but we do have to say this to Mr. Incognito:
Oh, shut up.
I can’t speak for Rams fans, but from here, it looks as if Richie Rich is misplacing blame.
But that’s becoming par for the course for some members of this team, most of whom can’t remember the Greatest Show on Turf days when the Trans World Dome – a.k.a. The Ed – was the noisiest place in the NFL. Of course, there were reasons to cheer back then.
All those victories from Warner, Faulk and Co. were admittedly the main reason for much of the noise, but the fans also saw that the team gave a damn and showed it on the field.
Of course, nobody’s around from the pre-glory days, when the on-field antics were nearly as frustrating as they are now.
Tony Banks? Lawrence Phillips? Wow, just think back to those gory days.
The early years didn’t produce many victories, but fans packed Busch Stadium and later the new dome. The return of the NFL to St. Louis was part of the reason for the early excitement, but the fans remained and supported the team – win or lose. They saw something in those teams that seems to be missing from this group of male horned sheep – intestinal fortitude.
Oh, some of them get all cranked up after they make a downfield tackle following a 20-yard gain by the opposition. They might be trailing by 20 points, but they thump their chests like Tarzan and wave for the fans to cheer.
But that’s high-school stuff – we’re not interested.
So please, Richie and Steven, et al:
St. Louis fans know when you’re trying and when you’re not. Quit the jaw jacking and play.

The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month – Veterans Day. It used to be Armistice Day back when my parents were kids. It marked the end of the war to end all wars, World War I. We’ve had a few more wars that didn’t end any wars since that time, thus the name change.
For people like me, lucky enough to be born in between those various and sundry conflicts, Veterans Day is a good day to look back.
Call it an early Thanksgiving Day.
If it weren’t for people – ordinary people – like my dad for instance, I probably wouldn’t have had the chance to become what I am today. And what I am, besides extremely fortunate, is someone who gets paid for watching sports and writing about them. There’s a little more to it than that, of course, but when push comes to shove, sportswriting is a pretty good gig.
Ernest Hayes was my dad. My dad was just a kid when he went off to war in 1942. He went to exotic places like India and Burma and saw things he never wanted to talk about when it was all over.
He was an ordinary kid who came back an extraordinary man. And all he wanted to do when he returned was get back to a normal life. He and my mom were separated nearly three years. While he was away, mom grew too. Like thousands of couples in that era, they lived with less, were happy with what they had and when they raised their kids, they made sure we understood what had happened before us, all the time making sure we had more.
Indeed the greatest generation.
I recently saw a sobering statistic. There are just about as many veterans of World War II still alive as there are from the Korean Conflict and Desert Storm. There are more than three times as many Vietnam vets alive today. World War II veterans are our elderly now and it won’t be long until they are no more.
As a kid, I remember seeing World War I veterans and thinking how ancient they were. Our own dads who had fought in WWII were young, vibrant and on top of the world then.
I consider being born in 1955 to be a great stroke of luck as well. That same year, such great innovations as Crest toothpaste, Captain Kangaroo and Disneyland were born. We were the first generation of kids with a TV set in nearly every home. And back when Illinois raised the drinking age to 19, it happened to be the year I turned 19. By the time it was raised again, I was 21.
And then there was the draft.
The timing was so that when the military draft rolled around for me in 1973, it had been donwngraded to standby status. I had a card and a number, but the draft was inactive as President Nixon phased out our commitment in Vietnam.
But as lucky as I felt as an 18-year-old, I have since realized my greatest stroke of luck was to be an offspring of that great generation – the one that transformed our nation. They defeated fascism and then returned to their ordinary, everyday lives.
Because of them, some of us can earn a living telling people about people playing games.
Thanks dad – and all the other veterans.
I only wish I’d said it more when you were with us.

With this week’s elections, and what with President-elect Obama putting his team together, I started thinking what how some of the area high school coaches I’ve known through the years would do as government officials. Let’s start with …

PRESIDENT: Wouldn’t the late-great Charlie Raich have been a good choice for commander-in-chief? His aw-shucks demeanor would put any enemy at ease, but his steel-eyed fortitude would do us well, in peace or otherwise, don’t ya think?

VICE PRESIDENT: Another late, great one, former Granite City South assistant soccer coach Mel Bunting. Mel was the quintessential backup guy, always there for his boss and willing to take the heat. And you couldn’t find a more loyal friend.

SECRETARY OF STATE: This one’s easy – Edwardsville soccer coach Mark Heiderscheid. His way with words and his way of dissecting every situation to the inth degree would serve us well.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Another soccer guy – former Granite City South great Gene Baker. He could rally the troops; prepare his teams for any task at hand. And boy, could he bait refs. I can hear him now, “C’mon Mr. President – pretend it’s a REAL conflict!”

HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: Greg Moats, the former boss of the EA-WR boys basketball team, is now the superintendent of the Belleville Township High School District 201. He knows a thing or two about mapping out a strategy and sticking to it. And patience? Hoo doggies – he’s loaded with it. Just keep the loaded Pepsi cans out of his reach if there’s a nasty House floor battle going on.

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: Lori Blade, the Edwardsville girls basketball and softball coach, can perform her duties like no other. She’s a hands-on leader and keeps a close eye on her players. She can also look at the big picture and anticipate what must be done now, next week or two months from now.

SENATE MINORITY LEADER: Mr. Gregory Nasello, soccer coach at Alton High. If the minority needs firing up – this guy can do it. He can adjust to the situation as needed as evidenced by his ability to coach both boys and girls teams at AHS, as well as teach Biology at Lewis and Clark Community College. His diversity would be a strong suit. But remember to keep some sedatives handy in the Senate cloak room.

SPECIAL ADVISOR TO THE PRESIDENT: Mount Olive’s venerable football coach Don Dobrino is a clear choice for this one. It would be like President Obama getting President Truman to sit in on Cabinet meetings.
Do you have some ideas for our imaginary government? Send them in – and have fun with it. Just no lame ducks please.