Yes Trigger Drill is a soccer term...deal with it. It's where players lineup and take shots at the goalie. I am going to lineup the sports world and shoot 'EM down. Let's break down some of the happenings in sports in the past few days.
Tennis: What the hell happened to Roger Federer? The so called half man-half machine lost his sixth match of the year Friday to Rake Stepanek. Yeah I have never heard of the guy either. I guess the headband mojo finally wore off. I predicted that he would only win two majors before the season started, now I am not so sure on that.
Baseball: Is it just me or have the Cardinals made some good moves? At least some good dumps in the past few years. 1. Jim Edmond's stunk it up and was released Friday. 2. Rolen and Eckstein have battled injury all season so far. 3. Matt Morris is most likely going to retire from baseball after becoming so bad he was dropped by the Pirates. Kip Wells has to have hand surgery because of a blood clot, he is out. Interesting.
NBA: Chauncey Billups has to play for the Pistons for them to make it to the title game. We are talking the one-time NBA Finals MVP. Anyone that can step their game up to the highest level at the game's highest level is a must have. My preseason prediction was Spurs vs. Pistons...fingers crossed.
NFL: The Minnesota Vikings put stipulations in their contract with DE Jared Allen that would save the team money if Allen were to get in to more legal trouble. Other teams have started doing this and I think it is a great idea. It may cause signing bonuses to go higher but crap...they are ungodly high already.
College Basketball: My alma mater Culver-Stockton FINALLY hired a new basketball coach. John Windham will be the 22nd head coach in Wildcat history. CSC took way too long to hire a coach. In prime signing season, they delayed the process. I have yet to hear of one local kid to sign on to play at Culver-Stockton...may be a rough year next season unless Windham can work some magic.
Soccer: Got to talk with Bobby Thomas and the Keokuk Chief soccer team. Great group of guys with a smart coach. Undefeated in conference and a bye in the first round of sub-sectionals, we could see this team winning state this year. Best of luck to the Chiefs.
NASCAR: What happened to Jeff Gordon? Is he racing's Roger Federer (or is that Jimmie Johnson)? Gordon won last year at Darlington for this weekend's race...will he defend the title and get his first win of the season?
Golf: Sergio just may contend at the Players Championship.
NHL: Are they done yet? I saw that attendance for the playoffs is down for Detroit-HockeyTown...no big surprise.
Good luck on blocking these shots all! TYLER L. TOMLINSON
By: Hooch (I hate reading a blog and waiting until the very end to finally see who it was by)
While looking through the "Coming Soon" section on the Kerasotes Web site, I noticed First Blood (or otherwise known as Rambo I) will be showing Thursday, May 15, for one night only with an alternate ending to follow where John Rambo dies. I'm not even sure if Quincy's carrying it, since it reads "selected theaters." The story of First Blood is pretty good; the actors just stunk. But, that got me thinking about past war films.
As a history nerd and lover of movies, I have documented my favorite war movies below. I own all of them and even some really terrible ones (Hamburger Hill, Platoon Leader, The Patriot, Kingdom of Heaven) that didn't make the list. My list is really all that matters, but ... if you have a differing opinion, make sure to let it be known. Those not making the list: Glory, 300, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Deer Hunter, The Pianist, The Thin Red Line, M*A*S*H, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Alexander, Patton, Catch 22, Letters from Iwo Jima.
10. Stalingrad (1993) -- A German film following the great WWII battle, one the deadliest (above 1.5 million combined) in human history, which is told through the eyes of a few German Storm Troopers. The acting is superb, even if watched in original German and English subtitles or with the added English track. The happy ending is not there -- it's a movie about the battle without a cheesy subplot.
9. Full Metal Jacket (1987) -- Two movies wrapped in to one, with the first part in boot camp possibly being the wildest ever. From the socks full of soap to the bathroom scene, it is absolute scary. Could be higher, but the added war scenes at the end downgrades it a tad. Pvt. Pyle?? Still freaks me out. What a performance by Vincent D'Onofrio.
8. Das Boot (1981) -- Meaning "The Boat" in German, if you have four hours on a rainy weekend, sit and watch this movie in full. It's hard to imagine an entire movie from inside the cramped quarters of a WWII German U-boat, but Wolfgang Peterson makes it happen. The detail is freaking amazing. Awesome movie.
7. Fires on the Plain (1959) -- Holy cow. To set it up, Nobi (original Japanese title) concerns the final days of the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines during WWII. A mixed group battles sanity, hunger and uncertainty. You can watch a majority of the film online, but unfortunately the most gruesome scene I have ever scene is not available. Nearing the end, one particular solider looks to cannibalism. My mouth hit the floor.
To hear the Power Rankings live, tune in to ESPN 1440 every Tuesday from 7-9AM for WGEM Sportscenter Presented by Hardee's....We've Got Your Game!
1. Arizona Diamondbacks (21-11) 2nd straight -- The D'Backs lead the most offensive categories as a team in the national league. Their pitchers are hitting a major league best .262 with 5 doubles and 9 RBI's.
2. St. Louis Cardinals (21-12) Up 2 spot -- The Cardinals are finally getting some ESPN love. Baseball analyst Buster Olney said they are, "for real". The have 13 saves as a team, the second most in the MLB.
3. LA Angels (21-13) Up 2 spots -- They've finally found a catcher in Mike Napoli (7 HR), second base is still a question mark as Howie Kendrick is hurt, Izturis, his backup is hurt and Figgins is not at 100%.
4. Boston Red Sox (21-13) Up 3 spots -- Josh Beckett is still good, 34 strikeouts and only 8 walks. The Sox have taken over first place in the AL East but can the Sox put together two straight weeks of good baseball?
5. Chicago Cubs (18-14) Down 3 spots -- Don't mess around with Lou. Rich Hill struggled against the Cardinals...one hour after the game he was optioned to AAA. Cubbies struggled in St. Louis and lost again to the Reds.
6. LA Dodgers (18-14) NR -- Finally getting their money's worth out of Rafael Furcal, .366, 5 HR, 16 RBI, 12 2B, 19 BB, 8 SB....oh yeah he has been a stud in the field.
7. Philadelphia Phillies (19-14) NR -- Welcome to the ranks again Phillies. Thank you Pat Burrell (.315, 9HR), he is in the midst of the greatest offensive streak of his career...psst...he's in a contract year.
8. New York Mets (16-14) 2nd straight week -- We may be the only ones around these parts who still think the Mets are for real. The Marlins fell out of first but the Big Apples are hanging around.
Bye Bye -- Athletics and White Sox (Don't cuss us out Ozzie)
Take a trip with Josh Houchins, as he recaps the weekend in his own weird way...
* I want to start the week off with possibly the best headline ever -- ""Big Brown triumphs; runner-up euthanized." No, I am not taking a potshot at Eight Belles. Even I am above that. But read the header again. Second place is truly the first loser. First place? A blanket of roses and a nice check. Second place? A deadly needle.
* Good series in St. Louis over the weekend. But I still place the Cards-Cubs rivalry third overall in the majors. Everybody knows Yankee-Red Sox ranks tops the list, but I also put Dodgers-Giants above the Midwest duo. San Francisco and Los Angeles have a history that's just hard to explain. Both moved west at the same time. Both have had a multitude of stars.
* Kosuke Fukudome has not hit a home run since that bomb on Opening Day. Just thought he had hit more than that.
* Sticking with baseball, Ryan Howard should never be considered a true MLB Great when he strikes out an astronomical amount every year. He already has 45 Ks through 32 games. That equals out to over 225 strikeouts this year. That's terrible.
* I learned that Dolph Lundren is Swedish. All of a sudden, I am not afraid of the Russians anymore. I am calling off my summer vacation to the Nordic countries, though.
* Thank you, QU baseball fans for supplying some laughs Saturday at the QU-Rockhurst baseball doubleheader. The student section, which sits in the wooden boxes down the left field line, somehow managed to obtain the Rockhurst left fielder's cell phone number. While constantly yelling at him during the game, they would also randomly call him and leave very loud voice messages. He could laugh, though, as Rockhurst took 3 of 4 and pushed QU out of the GLVC Tourney.
* Congratulations to ex-C-SC baseball coach Doug Bletcher, whose current team at Lindenwood won the HAAC Tournament and finished 24-6 in the conference. He went to the Lions to win, and I guarantee he will claim a national championship ring in less than three years.
* Was anybody else surprised when Marvin Harrison's name was mentioned in an AP story that sited the star WR was interviewed about a shooting near his Philadelphia bar and car wash?
* Quick preview of this week's Midweek Bliss coming Wednesday: Top 10 war movies of all time.
* I really thought ESPN may have been making too big of a deal about this college softball player, who hit her first home run but tore her ACL and had to be carried around the bases by the opposing team. But after seeing the footage and hearing the interviews on Monday morning's Sportscenter, the pub was well deserved. Great story you need to see.
* I have actually seen the same thing happen as just mentioned above. Just replace 'college softball' with 'slow pitch softball', and 'tore her ACL' with 'was too drunk.' Very similar.
* And finally, have you ever wondered how the Roger Clemens story will finish? I do. It would be crazy if his wife divorces him and then he goes to prison for perjury. That movie would crazy. The Ultimate Fall of the Great.
First off, I apologize for not posting the second installment last week. Things out of my control pulled me away from work, blah blah blah.....you don't want to hear my excuses, I know. Anyway, I'm back this week with some more baseball insights. See what you think....
Laying Down the Bunts:
1) One of the best players in MLB during the first month that no one's talking about is Pirates CF Nate McLouth. This kid has been unreal! Check out his stats: http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=434661
2) University of Missouri product Max Scherzer made his major league debut for the Diamondbacks on Tuesday. He pitched 4.1 innings of perfect relief, and now has quickly been inserted into their rotation. Watch out National League!
3) Looking for free, entertaining baseball? Head out to QU-Stadium this weekend as the Hawks wrap-up their regular season with a 4-game series against Rockhurst. Head Coach Brian Unger's crew is trying to play their way into next week's GLVC Tournament.
Directional Hitting:
1) Cubs--Hate to keep harping on Soriano, but he's coming of the DL on Thursday. Sweet Lou says he's putting him right back in the lead-off spot. I know they won the division with him in that spot last year, but it's just never felt right to me. Plus, they seem to have a couple different guys capable of filling that role as it's meant to be. You know, actually working the count, and things of that sort. Ted Lilly is starting to turn things around, which was a must, even though it's still early.
3) Did anybody else see the White Sox-Orioles game on Monday? They eventually suspended the game after 11 innings, score tied at three. Those were without a doubt the worst field conditions I have ever seen a game attempted to be played on. That game should have been called several innings earlier. Give the Sox credit as well for bouncing back from a rough 2007, at least so far.
Swingin' For the Fences:
1) I read part of a blog this week from Kansas City Star Royals beat writer Bob Dutton, where he expressed his hatred of the intentional walk. Bob did state that he could stand it in special cases, like when they used to give Barry Bonds all those free passes when he was on his legendary run just a few years back, or late-game situations with a slim lead trying to set-up the double play. I have to agree, though, that there is way too much over-managing in the big leagues these days. When you're intentionally walking a guy that's currently hitting below the Mendoza line in order to get the lefty-lefty match-up you want, we need to talk.
2) If only Ken Griffey, Jr. hadn't suffered so many injuries since going to Cincinnati, maybe we'd be talking about him breaking the all-time home run record and we wouldn't have to worry about Barry's latest court appearance or rumored tie to performance-enhancing drugs. And it sure would be nice if Greg Maddux (who's on the verge of winning his 350th game, if you didn't know) was the intimidating, power pitcher type. Not only would he get more of the credit that he deserves (another debate for another day), but then maybe we wouldn't be as interested in what Roger Clemens did in his spare time during his late 20s. Unfortunately, chicks (Mindy McCready?) dig not only the long ball, but the strikeout too apparently. I just wish things could have been different, so this generation didn't have to get stuck with such troubled icons of their respective disciplines.
I welcome your comments on any and all of the above.
Some of you may already be aware of it, but for those that aren't, we are currently airing a very interesting (in my biased opinion) special segment on WGEM SportsCenter presented by Hardee's. That, of course, is our morning sports talk show that airs every weekday from 7 to 9 a.m.
The special segment is called "Where Are They Now?", sponsored by Eric Kiser Insurance. This year, we are celebrating our 60th anniversary of WGEM Radio. With that in mind we are interviewing 60 of the most recognizable sport personalities from the past 60 years locally. Most of our interviewees will be former star athletes, but we'll also be hearing from a few coaches and former WGEM broadcasters. The segment airs from approximately 8-8:15 a.m. every Tuesday and Wednesday morning. We've already got four weeks in the books, but the segment will run for 30 weeks, so you've still got plenty of time to catch on and go on a few trips down memory lane with us!
Here's the list of guests, in no particular order, so far:
Michael Payne, QHS basketball standout
Steve Cramblit, former WGEM sports broadcaster
Caren Kemner, QND grad and former U.S. Olympic volleyball player
Marty Hull, '90s West Pike basketball star, now Western H.S. boys basketball coach
Mike Siebers, was a stud in basketball and soccer at QND
Greg Church, basketball star of the '80s at Palmyra
Tim Meckes, QND grad made it to Double-A minor league level in pro baseball
Phil Harvey, member of legendary '50-'52 QHS basketball teams
We've got a pretty good list we're working from to get these interviews, but maybe we've missed or forgotten about someone. If you've got a name that you think stands out from the past 60 years on the local scene reply here or shoot us an email to sports@wgem.com.
To hear the Power Rankings live, just listen to WGEM Sportscenter Presented by Hardee's every Tuesday morning on ESPN 1440 from 7AM-9Am with Broc Hampsmire, Tyler Tomlinson and Josh Houchins.
1. Arizona Diamondbacks (19-7) Up 1 spot -- The D'Backs take the first spot back over after a rough week from the BoSox. They are 17-5 against teams in the NL West...they keep that up, they are on the way to the playoffs.
2. Chicago Cubs (16-9) Up 2 spots -- They are taking advantage of home games, 10-4 at Wrigley. They have already matched a franchise record for wins April tying with the 1969 club at 16.
3. Chicago White Sox (14-10) 2nd straight week -- The Chisox are hanging tough in the top three. Carlos Quentin has been a pleasant surprise, rounding out what has been a solid White Sox outfield with Swisher and Dye.
4. St. Louis Cardinals (16-11) Up 2 spots -- Despite the blowup from Jason Isringhausen Friday night, the Cards bullpen has been good, especially Kyle McClellan. A great series with the Astros, can't wait until they play again.
5. LA Angels (16-11) Up 2 spots -- Most wins and the best record on the road for the Halo's. Torii Hunter has been great. Also a surprise...Joe Saunders, the 4th pitcher in the rotation is 4-0 with a 2.55 ERA.
6. Oakland Athletics (17-10) NR -- The A's have made it to the power rankings, this young team is hungry and talented, a lot like the Diamondbacks last year. The Big Hurt is back too...he tripled last week?
7. Boston Red Sox (15-12) Down 6 spots -- Rough week for the Red Sox...a big drop from number one that included five straight losses at one point.
8. New York Mets (13-11) Down 3 spots -- The Mets are teetering on the brink of falling out of the ranks completely. Ryan Church has done well in the Big Apple, .322, 16 RBI and 20 runs scored.
In roughly the third grade, I strangely remember scribbling those names down when the teacher asked for each student to think about their heroes. It's typical stuff for a kid -- athletes mixed with physically supreme male characters. No problem there.
With my selections, though, I can look back and say I am still pleased. Ozzie was the fan favorite, while Elway (this was at the start of his career) was an upstart QB who played the game with heart and passion. Rocky and He-Man were the hot items of the year, as each boy wanted to grow up and be as muscle bound as those who can save the universe with ease.
But that makes me ponder how the kids in the third grade earlier this decade would answer that question. Boys: Roger Clemens? Barry Bonds? Talk about taking a hit there.
Take a trip with Josh Houchins, as he recaps the weekend in his own weird way...
* The NFL Draft didn't seem as huge this weekend as in the past. Maybe it was because no true surprises took place, despite an amazing amount of trades. The excitement just wasn't there and I think I know why. Every pick is known 5 to 45 minutes prior to the commissioner saying the name. No suspense.
* Kansas City had a pretty good weekend. Pulled some starters out of the draft, but Glenn Dorsey is still a DT in the top five...which means he could very easily be a bust. Here are the last five DTs that went in the top five: Dewayne Robertson (Jets, 2003, #4), Gerard Warren (Browns, 2001, #3), Darrell Russell(Raiders, 1997, #2), Dan Wilkinson (Bengals, 1994, #1) and Steve Emtman (Colts, 1992, #1). Ouch.
* ESPN studio analyst Steve Young said Darren McFadden could escape his troubles in Arkansas and go to Oakland. Uhm, pretty sure nobody looks to Oakland to start life anew.
* New St. Louis Rams DE Chris Long looks a lot like Arizona Diamondbacks OF Eric Byrnes.
* QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: "Was he high during the interview? Because there's just some things you just don't say in an interview." -- ESPN NBA studio analyst Jamal Mashburnon Dallas' Josh Howardadmitting to using marijuana during a radio interview.
* Speaking of ESPN, someday you'll need an "Insider" pass to type E S P N on the keyboard. All I wanted was to read what Mel Kiper thought of Mizzou's Martin Rucker. That's it. I read "Rucker has nice hands and ... TO CONTINUE READING, TRY OUR FREE TRIAL." Thanks.
* I love it how on the way home from the dentist I stop by for a box of sweet tarts and a huge bottle of Mountain Dew. Hurray for never growing up!
* Adam Wainwright proved he is an ace. Even when Carpenter and/or Mulder comes back, the best golfer on the team also should stay atop the rotation. He displayed it in full Saturday, as he got the team out of a tough ninth inning, then watched as they gave him the win with a walk off.
* Troy Glaus and Scott Rolen hit their first home runs of the year Sunday. Glaus in Game 25: Rolen in Game 3.
* Isn't Tony Stewart winning a Saturday race like Albert Pujols participating in the Triple A home run derby?
* Did John Madden personally ask Brett Favre to be on the cover of Madden 09? And it's a little odd to me that a retired great gets to don the cover. Who's next? Sean Taylor? Oh, too soon?
* And finally, Ron Santo cracks me up. The Cubs' radio color commentator finds some of the best remarks for overweight baseball players. Earlier this season, he said Pittsburgh reliever Evan Meek's listed weight was "large," and over the weekend he talked about Washington catcher Johnny Estrada, who is listed at 254 pounds. Exact words from Santo concerning Estrada: "You can measure that guy in tonnage." The more I listen to Santo, I can see why he is loved in Chicago.
It's an inevitable question Tyler Tomlinson and I are faced with every time the months of November and April roll around: Which college signings do we cover?
In all we receive what seems to be triple-digit signing invitations during the winter and spring, and quite simply we can't cover each and every one.
On Tuesday I received the following not-so-rare email from a viewer that will remain anonymous and I left out some of the pertinent information :
"I was just wondering why some athletic signings get more press than others?"
"There was a signing at ____ for ____ yesterday. ____ signed with ____ to play ____. Coach ____ said he contacted the station and no one showed up. So I was just curious as to why."
First, and foremost, we honor all athletes that earn Division I and Division II scholarships, we also try and get to area preps that commit to local schools (Western Illinois, Quincy, Culver-Stockton, Hannibal-LaGrange, and John Wood), and after that..well, that's when it gets tricky.
Unfortunately time is of the essence when we conduct our sportscasts and to cover Johnny Smith's signing to (insert school here other than those which are Division I, II, or the universities/colleges mentioned above) is more than likely not in our best interests. If logisitics are in our favor we'll do our best to cover it but 95% of the time that's not the case.
But..we will make mention of that individual's signing whether it's at the end of the show or with the use of a graphic at some point during the sportscast.
The bottom line is simple..we are local-first in our coverage but to cover a signing that is of little significance to the bulk of our audience and to possibly sacrifice a bigger story could be detrimental to you (the viewer).
Tennis: What the hell happened to Roger Federer? The so called half man-half machine lost his sixth match of the year Friday to Rake Stepanek. Yeah I have never heard of the guy either. I guess the headband mojo finally wore off. I predicted that he would only win two majors before the season started, now I am not so sure on that.
time NBA Finals MVP. Anyone that can step their game up to the highest level at the game's highest level is a must have. My preseason prediction was Spurs vs. Pistons...fingers crossed. 
College Basketball: My alma mater Culver-Stockton FINALLY hired a new basketball coach. John Windham will be the 22nd head coach in Wildcat history. CSC took way too long to hire a coach. In prime signing season, they delayed the process. I have yet to hear of one local kid to sign on to play at Culver-Stockton...may be a rough year next season unless Windham can work some magic.
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