Live Chats

Join columnist Jeff Gordon for his live St. Louis sports chat at 1 p.m. Friday

Bring your Cards, Blues, Mizzou, SLU and MLS questions and comments, and talk to columnist Jeff Gordon in his weekly live chat.

3rd & 7 37yd

Bobo's here. Ballplayers are lined up, so let's get rolling.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 5:44:03 PM
Hi Jeff,
(2) games against Montreal, one against Chicago, Buffalo and Montreal and we come away with a grand total of zero points against the league's bottom feeders. I know a complete "blow it up" is unrealistic in this salary cap world, but just how active will Army be come March 3?
I'll hang up and listen.

by netboy65 1/27/2023 5:44:21 PM
Yes, I believe Doug Armstrong will be busy. There could be lots of talent up for sale ahead of the deadline, including Bo Horvat and Timo Meier from this side of the league. So that could drive prices down somewhat. And most contenders face severe salary cap crunches. But Armstrong knows he's not bringing back a number of these players, so he will get what he can in

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 5:47:23 PM
Jeff; Bur r sell time for these sorry Blues?

by East sideer 1/27/2023 5:47:36 PM
Yes, it is sell time.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 5:47:42 PM
The Blues are toast. Why wait for the trade deadline? You say the value goes up if they wait. What if by waiting, you don’t get the players, draft picks you want? Or you get beat out by another team? Tarasenko is playing not to get hurt. Parayko always plays not to get hurt. They both need to go.

by JRBlue 1/27/2023 5:47:50 PM
Teams have to wait to make big trades because teams looking to upgrade need to create salary cap space. There are a lot of ways to do that, but it's easier closer to the trade deadline that at the start of February,

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 5:48:45 PM
Well, after last night's game and barring a major miracle, me thinks we are firmly in the "Seller" camp. So... is this a down year for deadline deals because so many teams are up against the cap, as compared to previous years?

by Captain Obvious 1/27/2023 5:48:56 PM
This definitely could be a tough market to sell in, due to the reason you cite. And there are a lot of teams in rebuild or retooling mode I mentioned Horvat and Meier. Patrick Kane could be up for grabs. Or Captain Serious, Jonathan Toews if he decides not to be part of the rebuild in Chicago.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 5:51:05 PM
I lost a bet with my kid last night. Blues didn't really compete! Now they look mentally defeated. A lot of Blues fans at the Mullet--at least I only paid $25 per ticket my son is a student. Very cool to be so close to the players--Berube was miserable and cursing!! Love him!

by Roy Hobbs 1/27/2023 5:51:14 PM
We all love the Chief. But with the team dead in the water, everybody and everything in the organization is under scrutiny right now.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 5:51:49 PM
I have fulfilled my obligation for my Xfinity contract and I would like to find out if there is some way to stream Cardinals games. I know I could get MLB network and a VPN and some websites claim this is legal but I feel it is at best unethical. I was wanting to find out if there is a way to stream Cardinals games ethically without a $100/month subscription that comes with channels I don't watch. Thank you and have a good weekend.

by Gilligan 1/27/2023 5:51:56 PM
The parent company of Bally Sports was hoping that direct-to-customer streaming could keep it afloat. But it is headed into bankruptcy, so there is lots of uncertainty about regional TV rights. My guess is some form of direct-to-customer model will come out of this -- but it won't be cheap. Teams got used to collecting big money from the regional sports networks and that money could shrink dramatically with the RSNs struggling.
As for workarounds, I have not tried those. I've seen warnings that you enter some of those on-line sites at your own risk.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 5:56:36 PM
Gordo,
Mo admitted he wanted to do more to upgrade the roster over the winter, but it hasn’t happened. Now we’ve reached the “we like our team” stage of the off-season and the annual rite of waiting for the Cardinals to scoop up scraps after the market is depleted is well underway. It’s almost become a parlor game: predicting how deep the Cardinals will reach into the bargain bin, if at all. Reasonable and knowledgeable fans, sports journalists and baseball insiders acknowledge the Cardinals have depth and promising prospects, but they still believe the team needed to do more. They are not all wrong. Why is the front office steadfastly resistant to what is obvious to so many? What do they see that nobody else does? Hope can only go so far. Thank you for your time and thoughts.

by Outside the 314 1/27/2023 5:56:52 PM
The Cardinals see a six-man rotation. a mostly complete bullpen, a mostly set everyday lineup with interesting competition/upside in the outfield and DH. And with the prospect depth you mention, they will be able to make moves between now and the late summer -- as the team did last season while aggressively upgrading the starting rotation. The 2023 roster is not frozen.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 5:58:53 PM
A former colleague of the paper recently scribed that the people who run the Cardinals are so happy and self satisfied about being regular season heavyweights, it has made them post season lightweights. I thought it described quite well the state of the organization today. But I’m guessing as a long time defender of Bill DeWitt Jr, you have different thoughts?

by Jack 1/27/2023 5:58:59 PM
The Cardinals are very happy to enjoy consistent regular success that keeps the turnstiles spinning and their related businesses humming. Putting a consistently strong product on the field will be especially important now that the regional sports network revenue could shrink appreciably.
Of course the Cardinals would like to do better in the playoffs But as we saw in the fall, allocating $57 million or so to MVP-caliber hitters does not ensure that those players will actually hit in the postseason. Bill DeWitt Jr. did not go 1-for-15 against the Phillies, his well-paid stars did.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 6:02:42 PM
TGIF Gordo,

With the Blues veterans sinking their own ship, how far do you go with the rebuild? Beyond trading the upcoming UFAs, do you see if you can find takers for Schenn, Faulk, Krug, and/or Binnigton? I figure Binnigton would take sweeteners (draft picks, salary retention, NHL players, etc), but that salary is going to be SergiBob style albatross in a few years.

by Bobo Brazil 1/27/2023 6:03:27 PM
I would keep Faulk off the trade list, since he provides pretty solid value at his price point. Schenn is a heart-and-soul guy, like Alexander Steen. And like Steen's contract, his deal will age badly. But Armstrong does value his leadership. Krug will certainly hear his name is trade speculation, unless he firmly vows to use his no-trade protection. Binnington has shown some positive signs at times this year, but he will need to play a LOT better to draw trade interest. I see Joel Hofer coming up next year and pushing him. Armstrong has declined to trade away assets to dump a salary, so I don't expect him to travel that path with Binnington. The best case scenario for the Blues is get better production from Binnington next season so he will be marketable down the road. Goaltending has been a mess league-wide this season, so at some point there might be a market for him.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 6:10:29 PM
As Doug Armstrong hangs a For Sale sign out in front of the Enterprise center, if every team conducted a fire sale, who out all the players in the NHL has the highest trade value? Is it perennial Art Ross winner Conner McDavid, the electric Cale Makar, or some else?

by Bobo's Pet Monkey 1/27/2023 6:10:36 PM
The list starts with those two for sure. I'd give McDavid a slight edge over Makar, but it's ever so slight. Leon Draisaitl would be in the top five. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin might round out the top given, given all the goaltending woes in the NHL this season.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 6:12:27 PM
I heard your net front presence. BF says Tage Thompson is "playing well" for the Sabres. "Playing well?" He's on pace for 55 goals- and between 110-120 points -6'6" beast whose new nickname around in the media and league is Tage Lemeuix. Apparently Buffalo asked for Thomas or Kyrou before settling for him. Kyrou didn't play on the 2019 team--so in a parallel universe we still win the cup and keep Tage but lose Kyrou. Silly I realize but this is going to sting for along time while we rebuild and watch a former top pick turn into a HOF player. That's the way he's trending. He's a candidate for the Hart trophy--MVP this year. You try and downplay him so not to rub salt in the Blues Fans wounds. I'm not sure you're so surprised at his success. You said years ago his shot was elite. Blues missed on him!! They didn't see this! Stillman and Army should cry when they watch him. The Blues hex has returned. Please call Father Merrin!

by Roy Hobbs 1/27/2023 6:13:10 PM
The Blues are happy to build around Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. It's safe to say that most NHL GMs would have prioritized those two over Thompson -- who was slow to develop in Buffalo after he is slow to develop in St. Louis. Big forwards often need more time, but even given that axiom it's safe to say that Thompson ranks about the league's most pleasant surprises.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 6:15:44 PM
Read rumors about Mikkola to Edmonton, Barby getting a lot of interest, O'Reilly to Boston and Vladi. When do you think we start seeing some movement by the Blues.. This season is done after last night.

by Liz 1/27/2023 6:16:01 PM
If teams could find the cap space today, the Blues would make trades today. As noted earlier, it gets a bit easy to build cap space closer to the deadline.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 6:17:08 PM
Doesn't it make sense for the Blues to keep Mikkola and Barbie? Barbie is 27 sign him long term he's money in the bank. Sadly he's being mentioned as trade bait .

by Roy Hobbs 1/27/2023 6:17:15 PM
I don't see the Blues paying any sort of premium to keep a bottom six forward and third-pairing defender on a team that fell part. To make real change for next season and beyond, the Blues will have to create as much cap space as possible.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 6:18:35 PM
The Cardinals have kept plenty of dry powder in tow for the summer trade deadline. They also typically stay away from acquiring higher priced “rental” type talents being dealt mid-season. Do you imagine this July the team might more proactively make an exception to the general rule? For example, Joc Pederson.

by Nick N 1/27/2023 6:19:11 PM
If they have a need that a rental player can fill, the Cardinals will make that trade -- as they did last season while bringing in Jose Quintana. As for Pederson, a lot would have to go wrong for them to rent another outfielder. But, yes, a lot can go wrong.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 6:20:40 PM
Last night at Mullet I told a hockey fan from Toronto I only paid $25 dollars a piece for my tickets. He said " I pay that for parking in Toronto!"

by Roy Hobbs 1/27/2023 6:21:04 PM
Actually, that's not bad to park in downtown Toronto for a big event.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 6:21:25 PM
Out of the four teams remaining do you have any rooting interest whatsoever for one over the other three to win the Super Bowl? And if so, why?

by Nick N 1/27/2023 6:21:34 PM
My daughter and her family are in on the Chiefs in KC, so what makes them happy makes me happy now that I watch the NFL from quite a distance.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 6:22:28 PM
You bullish on Tyler O’ Neil having at least a decent enough 2023?

by Nick N 1/27/2023 6:22:41 PM
Bullish? I wouldn't go that far. Cautiously optimistic that will be somewhat more useful than last year? Sure. But expecting another season like his 2021 campaign seems wishful. O'Neill seemed utterly perplexed at the plate last season during those stretches between injuries.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 6:24:34 PM
Just curious about the newspaper biz, when an article like Goold’s about DeJong being home schooled down in Jupiter for the 3rd time comes out. Who’s idea does that come from? Is that Goold who thinks he should write or PD editor ? Cause nobody and I mean nobody is paying good money to read about the bench bat that hits .160. Cmon be better folks.

by Ryan P 1/27/2023 6:25:55 PM
OK, but what if DeJong actually hits this season? I'm not optimistic, like most people, but Matt Carpenter pulled it off a year ago. Also, the modern practice of hitters going into these performance labs is interesting. Even those suffering from DeJong Fatigue might appreciate a deeper dive into how these guys try to refresh or even reinvent themselves as hitter. The game has really changed that way in the past decade.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 6:30:40 PM
Mr. Gordon,

Just to address one thing regarding Jack's comments - I've never noticed you or anyone else who holds these live chats 'defend' Mr. DeWitt, but Jack regularly throws that out about you and the other chat hosts. I guess it's to try to get under you skin. I mention this so that folks who may not know, will know that Jack is making that up.

by frmrplyr 1/27/2023 6:31:04 PM
To many people, the definition of "defending Bill DeWitt Jr." is the refusal to lapse maintain the default position that Bill DeWitt Jr. is a bad owner. A lot of people spew the same stuff every week from that default position.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 6:33:06 PM
The one thing about this trade deadline is that there are more sellers then buyers. Everyone is playing awaiting game hoping to cash in at the last minute. That could backfire as there maybe no chairs left. Army needs to jump on a good deal.

by Roy Hobbs 1/27/2023 6:33:24 PM
If there is a good deal to be made, he will make it. He has proven that he's not afraid to make changes.

by Jeff Gordon 1/27/2023 6:34:00 PM