cmarlow's Blog

STL:

I'm an admitted life-long Buckeye fan ... and wow, did they look like BOOGEDY today!  And I don't want to hear anything about Beanie Wells not playing.  Ohio State should be able to beat Ohio at home by 30 without him.  The Bucks looked extremely average, didn't dominate the lines of scrimmage, poor in the kicking game (which you never see out of a Tressel team), and consistently gave up big plays on third down to a mobile Bobcat quarterback.

I never once thought that they would lose the game but it does have me worrying a bit for next Saturday at USC.  I think the one saving grace is that the Trojans have a dropback QB in Mark Sanchez, because the Bucks defense (even though it made some big plays) didn't do a good job of containing Ohio's QB ... "Boo" whatever his last name was.

Then again, a wake up call against Ohio may be just what OSU needs, a good kick in the behind a week before their biggest game of the season.  But after losing rather lopsidedly (sp?) in the last 2 BCS National Title games you'd think they wouldn't really need any extra motivation.

Bottom Line ... Ohio State wasn't good today.  But if it's close in the 4th quarter next Saturday against USC, I'll take Governor Tressel every time.  Since 2005 the Buckeyes have only lost 2 close games: to Vince Young and Texas in '05 (Troy Smith's 1st game that season) and last year against Illinois (I don't want to talk about it). 

So now I want to hear from all you Buckeye haters!  Do they have a chance in LA next week?  Could Mizzou beat them?

Charlie Marlow

STL:

First off I hate when I am inaccurate on air and when I am (which is often) I like to correct my mistakes.  Today, during a six o'clock live shot I said Jason Motte made his MLB debut on Tuesday ... when it was actually on Wednesday ... My Bad!

Anyway, what do you guys think of Motte?  Throws 98 mph ... that always helps.  Converted catcher really still learning how to be a pitcher ... Interviewed him today for the first time ... seems like a real down to earth guy ...

Peace,

Charlie Marlow

STL:

Just want to give ya'll a heads up about our first FOX 2 Athlete of the Week for the fall 2008 season.  Tomorrow (Friday) night on the Prepzone we'll have all of your high school football hilites plus the story of Joe Williams, a senior quarterback at Riverview Gardens who threw for 3 TD's last week and ran for 2 more!  3 of the plays went for more than 80 yards!

It's a big sports weekend, tune into FOX 2 all weekend for your Cardinals, BMW Championship, Mizzou and Rams coverage (we have a 30 minute Rams special Saturday night and Sunday morning).

Peace,

Charlie Marlow

STL:

On Thursday I said the Cardinals will be playing meaningful baseball until the middle of September and as usual I was wrong.  The 2008 Cards are officially done as of Sunday August 31st.  Being 6.5 games back of the Brewers with 25 games left to play is not gonna happen.  All in all a good season though, I think everyone would agree that this team overachieved.  Here's hoping the Cards front office makes a big splash this offseason, brings in some Grade A reinforcements, and sets up a perennial playoff contender for the next 5 years or so, because I think this team is pretty close ...

One more thing and I'm really interested to hear Cardinal nations' opinion on this matter.  How will you watch the Cubs this postseason?  I know they're your biggest rivals but I'm wondering if any Cards fans would (maybe secretly) root for the Cubs to finally win the World Series, I mean it has been exactly 100 years, and I think a 100 year curse fits in perfectly with the whole Cubs curse mystique deal.  Basically, what I'm wondering is: Do any Cards fans actually feel sorry for the Cubs and Cubs fans?

I'll be totally honest, I've never been a Cubs fan, but I did go to college in Illinois and all of my best friends live in Chicago and are big Cubs fans, and say what you want, but Wrigley is the 2nd best baseball atmosphere for my money, after Fenway.  So even though I now live and work in St. Louis, and really it's hard to cover a team on a daily basis and not kind of casually root for them (as I do for the Cardinals now), I do hope the Cubs win the World Series this year.  And it's not because I'm a fan of the team, it would just be the best baseball story and the best possible television.  Think about the drama with the Billy Goat and Bartman and all that.  I mean I think the baseball postseason is awesome anyway, but that would put it off the map.

And one more thing, if the Cubs are in the World Series, I'll be in Chicago every day I'm not working.  I love crazy atmospheres, I've been to Mardi Gras twice and was in Dublin, Ireland for St. Patrick's Day one year, and I guarantee you that would be a 24 hour party.

I realize that much of what I just wrote is sacrelige to many of you Cardinal fans, but it's how I feel.  I love baseball and I'm a fan of the game before I'm a fan of any one singular team.

Allright I want to hear from ya'll ... and please go easy on me.

Charlie Marlow

STL:

So I was the best man in a wedding on Saturday in Peoria, IL.  That means I didn't get to catch a minute of the Mizzou - Illini game.  Whad you guys think?  Did Mizzou impress?  How about the Illini? Fill me in.

Charlie Marlow

STL:

I usually keep the hyberbole and outlandish predictions to a minimum.  But, even I was ready to write the obituary for the 2008 Cardinals if they lost last night to the Brewers.  A Cards loss would've meant a 5.5 game deficit in the Wild Card, doable mathematically but not logically.  If the Crew played .500 ball over their last 28 or so games ... the Cards would've had to go 20-8 ... a difficult stretch for even a great baseball team ... and I think most would agree these Redbirds are a good or pretty good team, but definitely not a great team ...

Luckily we don't have to worry about that for a while meaning we'll still have meaningful baseball atleast midway thru September.  I still think the Brewers are gonna win it, but you can never bet against these Cards.  They play Tony LaRussa's "hard nine" every night and I think a lot of critics underestimate their level of talent, too.  I mean you have a Hall-of-Famer in Pujols, a perennial All-Star in Glaus, one of the best catchers in the game in Molina, a late-blooming star in Ludwick, and a cast of hungry role players that play every day like they'll be sent to Memphis if they don't produce.

No matter what happens in October this team has been really fun to watch.  This is my first year covering the Cardinals and it's a season I won't forget.

Your Thoughts?

Charlie Marlow

STL:

First off, I haven't blogged in eleven days (as our web team constantly reminds me), but I have an excuse.  The other day I wrote an "Izzy Done for the Season" post but before I sent it I went to a different website for a second and subsequently lost all of the text when I came back.  So note to the FOX 2 Web Team, please create some type of automatic save so that we don't lose all our stuff ...

Now to the Cardinals ... Friday night I've never seen a team get so many cheap hits ... everything the Cards hit fell in ... it became circus-like and actually painful to watch ... I kind of felt bad for the Braves ... What did you guys think of Wainwright's comeback ?  I don't think the Cards could've been happier with his outing Friday ... He'll go against the Brewers and Manny Parra (the pitcher Prince Fielder had a slap fight with in the dugout) Wednesday night at Busch ...

Saturday ... Kyle Lohse has gotten nickled and dimed his last few starts ... didn't really get hit hard ... Chipper threw his bat at a ball and drove in a run ... then the Braves got 2 2-run singles on ground balls up the middle just out of the reach of second baseman Felipe Lopez ... and speaking of Lopez ... I don't know if him not making the play in the ninth was an effort issue or not but I thought the FOX broadcasters described it perfectly by saying that Lopez was "a little casual ... a lot casual."  The ball was scorched so I think Lopez thought he had more time than he did.  Bottom line: that play has to be made. 

Another thing, I know I whine about media stuff alot, but I think if you are one of the main storylines of the game then you should make yourself available to the media afterwards.  For example after Saturday's game Lopez and Albert Pujols (he was 3-5 with a homer and 3 rbi's) left the clubhouse without talking to reporters (Pujols often does this).  Even though Kyle McClellan looked like he was ready to leave when the media got in the clubhouse, he took the bullet, and answered the questions after a tough outing.  I have a lot more respect for the players that face the media after poor performances ... I think it's part of being a professional baseball player ... keyword: professional ...

Lastly ... why is Lopez playing over Aaron Miles anyway?  I'm not trying to pile on the guy, but hasn't Miles been hitting over .300 and solid defensively all year?

Your Thoughts?

Charlie Marlow

STL:

Today (Tuesday) I went out and did a story on Sheldon Richardson, a 6 foot 4, 275 pound Senior D-Lineman/Tight End at Gateway Tech.  He's verbally committed to play at Mizzou but says he's also considering The University of Miami.

Richardson says he doesn't know if he'll play TE or D Line in college.  If you take a look at him he looks like a future D Tackle, and I could even see him being the kind of guy that could make the switch from TE to Offensive Tackle.  He's got the kind of frame where you could see him at 300 plus pounds and he'd still be quite athletic.

Richardson is a four star recruit so you should look out for him this season.  He's also a really charismatic and funny kid, a real good interview, which isn't very common for a high school senior.

Richardsons story will air on our Friday Sports Final show.  Any other local prep football players I should look out for this fall?  Hit me back.

Charlie Marlow

STL:

Today (Monday) I was reading Sunday's edition of the Post-Dispatch and came across something very funny.  In the "Sound Off" section Joe Barbeau of Chesterfield writes the following in a letter titled "Lighten up, Tony."

"The sports media need to stop interviewing Mr. La Russa after each game.  He is uninformative, uninteresting, unprofessional, and his obnoxious attitude is unwanted.  He is downright insulting to people who are just doing their job.  Would Mr. La Russa like to be treated in the very same manner by his fans, animal lovers, bosses, players, or how about his wife?  I think not."

So funny because it's so true.  After a tough loss that interview room feels like 7th grade detention.  There's more awkward silence than an episode of "The Hills."  I've been at a lot of college football and basketball press conferences after tough losses, where the games mean a whole lot more than a loss does in a 162 game baseball season, and I've never seen a coach/manager take losing worse than La Russa.  I think it's the reason he'll be in Cooperstown some day.  He flat out hates to lose.

Good stuff from Mr. Barbeau.  I wonder if he's a former member of the media.  So what do you all think, Tony's postgame behavior: fair or unfair?

Peace Out,

Charlie Marlow

STL:

I used to love Brett Favre ... and ESPN ... and now I hate them both.  Okay, maybe hate is too strong of a word, but I'm really sick of hearing minute-by-minute updates on Favre's situation by a half-dozen ESPN reporters that are camped out at strategic Favre locations across the country.  We are getting dangerously close to Barry Bonds-Pedro Gomez like coverage.  Remember back during the BALCO investigation when Gomez was Bonds' shadow, delivering daily reports on important Bonds developments like "Barry just ate a turkey sandwich," or "Barry just adjusted his protective cup."

I would hate to work in Green Bay right now.  It's turned into a Hollywood paparazzi like circus with fans breaking into Team Favre and Team Rodgers factions (about 99% Team Favre).  I actually feel sorry for Aaron Rodgers, a guy who's been paid millions of dollars over the last 3 years to do absolutely nothing.  The only person I think, that's benefited from the situation is Mike McCarthy (but maybe not in the wins column).  I think McCarthy has handled the situation well with fans and the media, explaining things clearly, standing behind Rodgers while also taking Brett's best interests into consideration.

But, I just don't care anymore.  I have absolutely no interest as to how this story ends.  Favre will always be a Packer no matter what the outcome, and that's how I and most of America will remember him.

What do you guys think?

Charlie Marlow

STL:

The other day I was watching SportsCenter and saw Rangers' rightfielder (at the time) Josh Hamilton field a single in the mid-outfield and gun down a runner who was trying to go first to third.  Hamilton's toss reached third base on a fly and seemed to be on a straight line about head-high.  It was one of the best and strongest throws I've ever seen.  I remember Ichiro Suzuki had nearly the same type of throw about 5 years ago against the A's, showing off just jaw-dropping arm strength.

So that got me thinking, who has the best outfield arm in baseball?  I figure this question has some local appeal because Rick Ankiel is definitely in the conversation.  The names that immediately come to mind are Hamilton, Ankiel, Vlad Guerrero, Jeff Francouer and Ichiro.  Ankiel had those 2 amazing throws in one game against Colorado (I think) earlier this year, throwing out 2 guys at third, on a fly.  Francouer has a cannon, but I don't think his arm is as accurate as some of these other guys.  Hamilton hasn't been around enough to claim the title just yet.  That leaves Vlad and Ichiro, and I give the nod to Ichiro,  because I think he gets his momentum behind the ball, better than anybody else in the game.

As far as worst outfield arms go, I think Juan Pierre and Johnny Damon are tied for first.  And that's only because Rondell White is no longer playing (I think).  Any thoughts?

Charlie Marlow

STL:

I think it's important to give credit where credit is due.  And I just happen to think the FOX 2 Sports Department deserves some props for its coverage of Rams training camp so far.  I'm not trying to go out of my way to pat my 2 FOX brethren on the back, it's just that, in my first experience with Rams training camp I've been really impressed with our product. 

I'm pretty sure that (as of Sunday afternoon) we're the only local TV station that has provided viewers with live coverage.  On our Friday Sports Final show 2 and a half of our 3 blocks of content were Rams related, including a live interview with rookie wideout Keenan Burton.  On Saturday we replaced our traditional Sports Final program with a half hour live training camp special that included a live interview with cornerback Tye Hill.  And tonight (Sunday) on Sports Final we'll have Adam Carriker live and D'Marco Farr co-hosting the show with Martin Kilcoyne.  By the way, Martin and photographer Donovan Potts have been pulling some long days to get the stories to you viewers.  But, don't feel sorry for them, cuz they're staying on a lake and I hear the Rams provide the media with some quality eats.

I don't write this to bag on our competition (although in the TV ratings game, one station can't go up without another going down) but instead to highlight what I think has been an impressive overall effort at FOX 2.  Dozens of people at our station have been working together to provide St. Louis with the best coverage of the Rams.  So if you're a fan of the horned helmet I think you should check us out, and hopefully you'll see the same thing that I've been seeing.

See Ya,

Charlie Marlow

P.S. Is there something Rams related that we haven't covered that you'd like to see talked about on FOX 2?  If so, tell me in the comments section.  After all, we don't have jobs if you're not watching. 

STL:

I am always the first to admit when I'm wrong ... and one day into the Glaus - cleanup, Ankiel - 5 hole project I was way off.  Friday night the Cards scored 11 runs for the 3rd time in the last week, and Glaus was 2-4 with 2 runs scored & Ankiel was 3-5 with a run and 3 RBI ... I still don't like the move but it worked and that's all that matters.

So my sincerest apologies go out to Tony LaRussa because I know the first thing he does every morning is read my blog.

See ya,

Charlie Marlow

STL:

If it ain't broke ... don't fix it, I heard that somewhere once.  But, even though Troy Glaus and Rick Ankiel are both on their biggest offensive tears of the season, Tony LaRussa decided to flip-flop them in the line-up.  I don't get it.  Baseball players are creatures of habit, they want to have a defined role that they can carry out day in and day out.  In the last month batting clean-up Ankiel was hitting a homerun just about every other game.  And in the five hole Glaus has 14 homers since the calendar turned to June.  Glaus has even said publicly that he's more comfortable batting fifth.  So I'll say it again, I don't get it.  If the movie Bull Durham taught us anything, besides that you should never throw a punch in a bar fight with your pitching hand, it's that you've got to respect the streak.  Especially with Ankiel because he's proven to be a streaky hitter ever since making it back to the bigs as an outfielder.  When a player's hot, you don't mess with them, you ride out the streak, because it's impossible to be great for 6 months in a row.

The way I see it, Glaus and Ankiel got LaRussa'd.  The last time I saw a manager tinker with his line-up this much was when I was in t-ball, and that's only because every player had to play atleast 2 innings every game (league rule).

I understand that LaRussa knows more about baseball than I do, and he surely knows his players better than I do ... but, still I don't understand this move.

STL: agree or disagree?

Charlie Marlow