It was announced late last week that I would be moving from my radio job at KFNS down the dial to KTRS. In some cases, this was a difficult decision to make. On the other side of the coin, it was no brainer.
I have been involved in the All-Sports format in St. Louis since its inception in 1991. I have seen the highs and lows and after 15 years, it was time for a change. Being part of it every day over the course time, you see a lot of things not mentioned on and off the air. While most of it was good, there was at times the bad and in some cases the ugly. In all, it has been a blast.
In all of the items that sports talk radio has covered over the years, there have been three that I have fielded more calls on than anything else.
The Cardinals are number one. From the lack of spending money in the final years of the Anheuser-Busch ownership, to the Tony La Russa era that has included the second guessing, the winning and losing and oh yes the handling of Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith as a player to his current Hall of Fame status that includes being on the shortest list in the world – the only Hall of Famer to be uninvited to spring training or any other Tony La Russa-managed event. Wow, that one stands out.
The second would have to be the plight of the St. Louis Rams, from how they got here to what they have done since they have been here. An embarrassment, from the drafts to coaching and front office personnel, the Rams somehow were able to not only win the Super Bowl, but find themselves back in it only to lose on a last-second field goal. That, and bad coaching – a subject that space will not allow me to get into in one column.
Third… race. There was never a better term than “black and white” when it comes to St. Louis, from the racism that existed at Missouri that some would never acknowledge to why there were until recently no African Americans on the Cardinals. Just when you think you have heard it all, along comes the most recent situation: Floyd Irons versus all of his detractors, who found it convenient to send School Board President Veronica O’ Brien out with a sharp ax fit for Floyd’s neck.
I have a chance to be involved with the games at KTRS. They have the Cardinals, Blues and Rams. There is only one other station in the country that can make that claim of having three major sports teams on their station. To me, that is pretty good company. I will have a chance to be involved in a variety of activities the BIG 550 will provide. It will be fun to work with my good friends in Mike Shannon and John Rooney for baseball, Kelly Chase and Chris Kerber in hockey and Steve Savard with the Rams. It will be fun.
Like I look forward to working with good friends, I will be leaving a lot of good ones. Twenty-one years in working in some capacity with Bob Ramsey has been a priceless experience. I would do it all over again if Rammer were there everyday. Brian Burwell has been my voice of reason. He gets it, he gets me most of the time. He is class, he is a man. He’s a suspect golfer, but he is still my guy. My producer and production manager Tony Hubert and Chris “Hoss” Nuepert have meant much to me over the years. I have had as much fun with Kevin Slaten as I have with anyone.
Like a good thing, it came to an end. We both have moved on and we are happy and that is what counts.
I am getting a kick out of the likes of John Marecek who has truly earned his stripes as being a player in this market. He has earned it with hard work and nothing else. He will be a player.
I’ll see you on the BIG 550 KTRS on September 12, starting with Cardinal coverage into the Rams and Blues seasons. And you can always find me here where it all started, in the St. Louis American.