Good morning folks,

Let’s drop a round in the chamber and see what words hit the ground.

Exposure for Film-Addict 

One of the ways to guide your website into the upper echelons of premium exposure is to connect with the right people.  The right people can be actors and filmmakers or people with money.  This week my colleagues and I are going to dive into the fragile yet ambitious ground of putting yourself out there in front of the audience.   Contacting publicists (not agents, we aren’t offering the actors film roles) for interviews and seeking credibility.  There’s nothing more powerful in this marketing world than attaching a well-liked celebrity or athlete to your brand.   Do you think Robert Griffin III really likes Subway?  Probably not, but putting him on those commercials brings credibility to Subway and helps their bland tasting sandwiches tromp mom and pop sandwich shops.   Think a whole lot less money to work with and you have my site.

Exposing The St. Louis Blues

*The Blues pulled out a 4-3 overtime victory over the Detroit Red Wings tonight after I wrote this section and while the team stands at 7-6 and in decent standing, questions still exist for this team.   Celebrate the win tonight but maintain the concern over this team.

Is this team in a minor funk or are they being exposed a ¼ of the way into the schedule.  After 12 games, this team is 6-6(never mind soft NHL win-loss columns adding a lane called “Overtime or shootout losses”) after starting 6-1.  Trouble brewing in paradise?  Let’s take a look at this crime scene.

*Plenty of blame has been thrusted on the Blues goaltending.   In a way, this is valid and in other ways it’s not.   Let’s get something straight.  Brian Elliot isn’t a #1 goalie.   Take away his 2011-2012 lightning rod season where he played out of his skates and above his skill level and look more at his career statistics.  He becomes exposed after starting 3-4 games in a row.   Take into account Jaroslav Halak’s groin injury leaving Elliot exposed.  Both of these guys play well off each other and not so much without the opposing force.  Halak has struggled to live up to the big trade and contract he got here.  He is more of a 2/3 amount of games starter or even a part timer due to his fragile body and ineffectiveness.   Put together, these guys are great.   By themselves, they are ordinary.   The Blues have lacked a legit #1 goaltender since the days of Grant Fuhr.   Roman Turek makes me too angry.

*Furthermore, the Blues goalies didn’t face a ton of shots during the 6-1 start.   Halak has two shutouts where he only faced 12-15 shots.   Starting with the Blackhawks defeat and the last 5 games, the shots against have increased and no one has been there to rescue Elliot from danger.   Just a thought for you to chew on.

*The news that Halak is out for another week means there’s a good chance that Jake Allen, our Peoria prospect, will get a shot in goal.   You have to give Elliot a rest because marching him out there to give up more goals will do nothing for his confidence.  In some areas of life, confidence is more valuable than skill.

*The defensive front isn’t helping the cause.  Forwards failing to forecheck or defensemen getting beat to the puck and not clearing rebounds.  It’s a domino effect on the ice when one unit falters.   Elliot isn’t a big stop goalie so he can only handle so many odd man rushes before the levees breaks.  The defense forgot who Teemu Selanne was on Saturday night, letting the owner of 667 goals sneak behind the net, pop out on the other side and punch in a rebound that started the Duck takeover at Scottrade and really put this team in a hole.  Losing to Detroit, Nashville and LA is bad for business but failing to get two points from Anaheim was hurtful.

*TJ Oshie and David Perron continue to be two players who can be brilliant for a game and two and then disappear.  Streaky talent.

*Vladimir Tarasenko cooled down after a hot 5 games before scoring a power play goal tonight in Detroit.   He is a bursting at the seams talent and teams were smart to keep the puck away from him but he is a player I don’t worry about simply because of his intelligence with the puck in stride.

*Jake Allen got his cherry popped in Detroit tonight and while the kid let in some soft scores and seemed rattled(must have been the road start in Joe Louis), he did quite well.   He stopped 21 shots and didn’t blow up Elliot style.  Halak will miss a few more games and Allen will have to be ready because there’s no telling when Brian Elliot will shed that Marc Bulger fright.  The kid did well tonight after being thrown to the wolves.

This team won a game tonight and recovered a little dignity but still strikes me as a team that can get shut down, outlasted or look quite lost on a hockey rink at any given time.   This 48 game season will expose and tire out certain teams quick.   Who makes it to the finish line intact is anyone’s guess?  The fast start turned heads but this Blues team will have to be tenacious and consistent to get the better of this division.  Blues fans feet will touch the ground.

Cards Camp Opening Notes

Pitchers and catchers reported, along with several other position players on Tuesday.   The real issue will be signing Adam Wainwright to a long term deal before the season starts.   If the Cards don’t do so, they risk facing Albert Pujols stand off Part II.   I won’t put Waino with Alberto here but the idea of letting your staff ace dangle outside the market with plenty of teams needing a good arm is dangerous.   Waino is coming off a long season after Tommy John but gave this team a bargain for 6 years and deserves to get paid.   He must realize that the Cards don’t have Giants or Dodger money and can’t give him Matt Cain or Zach Greinke money.  It’s just not possible.  However, the Cards can’t lowball Adam and think they can survive without him in 2014.   Do you want to see Jaime Garcia be the ace of the rotation next year?   Excuse me but I declare hell no on several counts of logical based thought.  I know agents go for the highest dollar and players need to get paid market value but sometimes I wish it would come down to one man coming into a room and just saying this is what I have to make.   Matt Cain isn’t a better pitcher than Wainwright, nor is Zach.  When all three at their best, Waino is as good as anybody.   That doesn’t matter here though.   Market value and location do.   The Cardinals won’t and shouldn’t hand any pitcher a contract that extends over 5 years.  If I were the Cards, I’d him 4 years with a vesting option for a 5th at around 18 million per season.   He gets a raise from 12 million in 2013 to 18 in 2014.   If that isn’t enough money, and feelings need to be healed with dollars, then I am afraid Waino could be leaving.   Let’s hope this gets solved before camp breaks.

Baseball is back.  Amen!  On to other things.

Firing Round-

Joe Paterno can’t be saved by a positive report.  Let me make something clear.   Whether or not we will ever know the amount of information that he knew about Jerry Sandusky has no bearing on his legacy now.   Forget his 400 plus wins and mastery of college coaching or that legendary jog to the sidelines.   Joe Paterno will be branded by the biggest oversight in college football history.   Sports history.   Any time you think of him it will be associated with sexual molestation.  That’s the uncomfortable truth.

The Rams hired defensive backs coach Tim Walton to lead their defense.   I like the low key hire.   This is Jeff Fisher’s team and more importantly, it’s his defensive scheme.  Walton will cut his teeth with this gig and learn a lot.

A Good Day to Die Hard works so well because of the relentless action, a key car chase and fast pacing but mostly due to Bruce Willis not taking the role of John McClane too serious.   He always seems to be winking at the audience while he does miraculous things.   This movie is a good time and then some.

In this week’s On A Role, I explain the brilliance and underrated career of Willis.  Check it out on my site.

It’s too bad Chuck Norris couldn’t lend Chris Carpenter a rib bone to get him one more season of vintage bulldog domination.   Listening to Carpenter talk openly about his future this week at Busch was another reminder that they still make athletes tough as nails and honest as a sniper’s rifle.   David Backes didn’t mince words when describing the Blues struggles.   He said they sucked and needed to be better.  Tonight they were.  It’s not rocket science.  True leaders just do their thing effortlessly and others follow.   Carpenter and Backes went to the same school of old school toughness.   Raising a glass to Carp tonight.

Halak Injury+Tarasenko Cooldown=Blues losing streak? I’m a detective circling a crime scene so feel free to help.

Dear Academy. Argo fuck yourself for not nominating Affleck. I know he was too big of a threat to Spielberg but still..you’re pretty stupid.  Yes I will continue to say this.  The man didn’t just deserve a nomination but he deserved to win the award.   Affleck’s accomplishments need to be fucking celebrated.

Now that the baseball gods are meeting at the table, I need to start tuning back into the MLB network and get my daily dose of news and reports.  I don’t get all this wise old man knowledge through osmosis friends.   I need my local cat Greg Amsinger(Lindenwood) to fill me in.  If there is one guy that deserves a radio show and TV show, it’s this guy.  Very intelligent young baseball mind and a Cards fanatic.  He does weekly hits on 101.1 ESPN Fast Lane.

I am in need of a decent coffee mug for work and for that I am buying a Thermos mug that keeps coffee hot for nearly 8 hours.  How?  A double wall of stainless steel that is vaccum sealed every time you close it.  That’s how.  Exciting development.  Self Indulgent quip#1.

What can I say?  I really like new shoes.   Puma, Nike or Under Armour.   I will be purchasing a new pair this weekend.   For so long I went with one or two pairs and wore them out quick.  Now, I can split time between many sets and keep shoes fresh and in shape a longer period of time.  Self Indulgent Quip #2.

Stop with the comparison between movies and real life violence.   Take a look at mental health stability first and I know it’s harder to figure out and more depressing but telling me a guy walks out of Die Hard 5 and wants to kill innocent people doesn’t roll even in my mind.  Chew elsewhere politicians and stupid protesters.

Ryan Fucking Reaves can play hockey and isn’t just an enforcer.   Something to be proud of Blues fans.  Another home grown fighting talent who may be able to do more.  Personally, my favorite Blues player to watch.  I have a soft spot for asskickers on skates.   Once upon a time, I was one.

Banshee is still a great delight.  Justified is the best television at the moment and other shows are DVR’ed and watched days later.

What are you doing this weekend? I’m taking my wife out for our eight year wedding anniversary.  Still the best move I ever made.

That’s it.  Goodnight.  Thanks for reading.

Yours truly,

Dan L. Buffa