Can Stewart Wear Two Hats and Win the Daytona 500?

The Daytona 500, dubbed the Great American Race and the kickoff to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, is less than a week away.

There are a couple things we do know. Martin Truex, Jr. and Mark Martin, former teammates last year at Dale Earnhardt, Inc, qualified 1-2 and will lead the field to the green flag Sunday in Daytona Beach, Fla

After that, there are a lot of questions to be answered. Here are a couple things to keep an eye on leading up to the big race:

Can Tony Stewart win his first Daytona 500 as an owner/driver?

Richard Petty was the last driver to take a car he owned to Victory Lane in Daytona. He did it for Petty Enterprises in 1981. Successful owner/drivers are becoming rare each season, but Stewart is trying to make his mark with the new Stewart-Haas Racing venture. Stewart has won virtually every race there is to win at Daytona, other than the 500-miler in February. He was strong in Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout and his team has all the pieces in place for a strong start — engines and chassis from powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports, not to mention “Smoke” himself behind the wheel, eager to prove the doubters wrong. Don’t be surprised to see Stewart’s No. 14 in the lead pack down the stretch on Sunday.

What is up with the sluggish Dodges?

The fastest Dodge driver in last weekend’s qualifying was Reed Sorenson, driving for Richard Petty Motorsports (the new collaboration between George Gillett’s team and the Pettys). Sorenson’s 28^th place effort in time trials was the best Dodge had to muster on pole day. Penske drivers David Stremme, Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish, Jr. were 41^st, 42^nd and 44^th, respectively. But all we have to do is look at last year’s race to learn not to count out the Dodge gang. Ryan Newman won the Daytona 500, teammate Busch was pushing him and Sorenson was also near the front on the white flag lap as a train of Dodges shot past the powerful Toyotas. The draft is a great equalizer and although the Dodge camp has thinned a little bit, a new engine could help keep them competitive this week.

Can Martin finally win the big race that has eluded him?

Martin, age 50, is back racing full-time in the Sprint Cup Series for the first time since 2006 and he’s doing so in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He has his best starting spot ever for the Daytona 500 and claims he’s in the best equipment he’s ever had with HMS. With the exception of Carl Edwards, you would be hard-pressed to find a better conditioned driver than Martin. He’s hungry, having finished a couple feet short to Kevin Harvick in 2007. Martin’s stiffest competition may come from his three fellow HMS drivers — Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon and three-time series champion Jimmie Johnson, but this could be his best shot at winning Daytona.

Can any of the new ‘independent’ teams keep up at Daytona?

Likely not. This offseason saw contractions, mergers, alliances and teams just closing their doors. Subsequently, that allowed some individuals to buy cars and equipment at liquidation prices and they have cobbled together enough funds to take a shot at making the Daytona 500. But the likes of Joe Nemechek and Jeremy Mayfield — a couple owner/drivers who put together last-minute deals — Scott Riggs (in a Tommy Baldwin-owned and wrenched car with no sponsorship decals on the car) and others face tall odds of competing with the big boys. Simply put, the chasm between the haves (Hendrick, Roush, Gibbs and Childress teams) and the have nots has gotten even bigger.

Manny placed on waivers — Legace that is

Just one year ago, goaltender Manny Legace was representing the St. Louis Blues in the NHL All-Star Game.

This year, any of the teams in the NHL can have Legace without having to give up a player or prospect.

Legace was placed on waivers by the Blues on Friday, just two days after his 36^th birthday. Legace’s third season with The Note was filled with sub-par performances. In his most recent outing — on Monday in Detroit against his former team — Legace let in a couple questionable goals before being pulled for Chris Mason. Three of the eight shots he faced found the back of the net before the Blues came back to salvage a point in a shootout loss against the powerhouse Red Wings.

Legace was obviously disappointed to hear the news he was put on waivers. Legace told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “It’s extremely tough. You play your heart out for a team, and the minute you hit a little bit of a rough patch, they dump on you.”

The line on Legace this season: a serviceable 13-9-2 win-loss record, but a shoddy .885 save percentage and a 3.18 goals against average.

Chris Holt has been recalled from Peoria of the American Hockey League to backup Mason in the meantime. If none of the other teams in the league claims Legace, Blues president John Davidson said Legace will be sent down to Peoria so he can get more work.

The Blues had to make a move. Although Mason hasn’t put up big numbers (7-14-3, .915 save percentage, 2.60 GAA), he has been the hotter goaltender of late – he shut out Philadelphia last week at home and has turned back 131 of the last 136 shots he has faced.

Legace could resurface with the Blues if Mason struggles or gets injured. The Blues sent Legace to Peoria to help keep him sharp instead of just pouting on the bench.

Davidson told the Post-Dispatch, “If he goes and plays well, we have to re-visit the whole situation. Manny may think the book’s closed and, well, that’s his business.”

Legace’s struggles put the Blues in a tough spot. They can’t keep putting Legace on the ice with his continued struggles, but sending him to Peoria takes away valuable playing time from prospect Ben Bishop.

With the salary cap in place, teams might not have the room to fit in a goaltender who has a cap number of $2.15 million, so Legace could be ‘Playing in Peoria’ for a while unless he catches fire. The Blues would prefer to see another team take Legace off their hands or to see him regain his ‘A’ game to aid them in their bid for a playoff berth.

Steve Spagnuolo – not Jason Garrett – is the Pick for Rams Head Coach

On Friday night, there were indications that Jason Garrett could be the new head coach of the St. Louis Rams.

After all, he was in town with his wife and checking out the Rams’ facilities, with a garment bag in tow. He was the only one of the finalists believed to be in town at the time.

But the Rams perfectly pulled off an end around. Steve Spagnuolo is now the new coach of the Rams. The Post-Dispatched reported that the New York Giants defensive coordinator agreed to terms on a four-year contract worth close to $12 million.

It bears noting that Spagnuolo has known Rams general manager Billy Devaney for some time. Spagnuolo was an intern with Washington when Devaney was there during the Redskins’ Super Bowl runs. Spagnuolo was also a scout in San Diego when Devaney was working in the personnel department.

Spagnuolo, 49, was a defensive coordinator for two seasons with the Giants after a seven-year run as an assistant at Philadelphia from 1999-2006, where he worked under defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. This is the first head coaching position for Spagnuolo at any level.

The pulse of Rams fans is positive with news of Spagnuolo’s hiring. The masses were up in arms when word came down that Garrett was in town and considered to be a front-runner for the position vacated by Scott Linehan and now Jim Haslett, the team’s interim head coach for the last 12 games of the season.

Spagnuolo is now pressed with assembling a staff quickly. The Senior Bowl activities start next week in Mobile, Ala. and its likely that Spagnuolo will be able to network with some prospective assistant coaches down in Alabama. In a perfect world, the Rams would have loved to have their coaching staff in place and on the same page as the scouting department in time for Senior Bowl week.

One coach to keep an eye on is Sean McDermott, the Eagles’ secondary coach and one of Johnson’s prized pupils. Spagnuolo and McDermott worked together in Philadelphia. McDermott has served in a variety of capacities with the Eagles since 1998 and it is only a matter of time before he becomes a defensive coordinator.

Another possibility for defensive coordinator is Giants secondary coach Peter Giunta. He’s a coach that Rams fans are familiar with as Giunta was on Dick Vermeil’s staff from 1997-2000 and was co-defensive coordinator at one time here.

It’s hard to gauge what type of offensive philosophies Spagnuolo has or who he might want to bring along to flesh out his offensive staff in St. Louis. It’s unknown if he will keep offensive coordinator Al Saunders, quarterbacks coach Terry Shea or offensive line coach Steve Loney, all of whom have contracts for 2009. Spagnuolo was a collegiate wide receiver at Springfield (Mass.) College from 1978-1981.

Spagnuolo won’t have the benefit of players like Justin Tuck, Antonio Pierce or Osi Umenyiora to work with in St. Louis. Much rebuilding has to be done, especially on the defensive side of the ball. There are also several issues on offense, where Marc Bulger, Torry Holt and Orlando Pace appear to be on the downside of their careers.

Gruden out at Tampa Bay, likes Notre Dame Victory March

Jon Gruden was hit from his blindside Friday when the Glazer family gave him the pink slip as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It’s too early to determine what precipitated this stunning development, weeks after the conclusion of the regular season, although the fact that the Buccaneers faded drastically down the stretch and fumbled away a wild card berth they seemingly had in their grasp a few weeks earlier might have had something to do with it. But this has “power struggle” written all over it.

Also being shown the door was general manager Bruce Allen, the son of the legendary George Allen. Allen and Gruden worked together in Oakland and after Gruden was “traded” to Tampa Bay, he suggested to the Glazers that they hire Allen as the Bucs’ GM after the 2003 season.

Gruden won a Super Bowl during his first season at the helm in Tampa Bay and that made him the youngest coach ever to win the Super Bowl. Gruden’s Bucs beat his former team, the Raiders, in San Diego in that game.

What’s next for Gruden? Radio personalities and chat rooms in St. Louis are already clamoring for Rams GM Billy Devaney to inquire about Gruden as the team’s next head coach.

If Devaney were to pick up the phone and call up Gruden’s agent Bob LaMonte (who also happens to represent Steve Spagnuolo, a finalist in St. Louis), I have a hunch that Gruden and LaMonte might say, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Why? I have two words for you.

Notre Dame.

If the Fighting Irish don’t improve drastically under Charlie Weis’ watch in 2009, you can bet Gruden’s name comes up as a candidate, so it makes sense for Gruden to take a year off. Gruden’s father Jim was an assistant coach under Dan Devine at Notre Dame in the 1970s and Jon Gruden is fond of his formative years spent in South Bend, Ind.

Gruden once told Playboy magazine in an 2003 interview: “I lost my virginity to the Notre Dame fight song,” he said. Playboy asked, “There was a band?” Gruden replied, “No, not even music. But it was in my mind.”

As for Gruden’s replacement in Tampa? The Glazer family must have someone in mind to make this drastic of a move this late in the game. Raheem Morris, only 32 years of age and recently elevated to defensive coordinator, is thought to be a rising star in the coaching ranks and could be tabbed to keep some continuity.

Another possibility is Mike Shanahan. Since Allen was also fired, the Bucs could also give Shanahan the final say in all football matters and allow him to bring in his own general manager or personnel man.

Why not Jason Garrett as the Head Coach of the St. Louis Rams?

The St. Louis Rams apparently have wrapped up their interviews Thursday with their five finalists when New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo talked with the team in Los Angeles.

Now, let the speculation begin as to which one of that group — Spagnuolo, Leslie Frazier, Jason Garrett, Jim Haslett and Rex Ryan — gets the nod as the new head coach.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is already reporting that Haslett has been told he’s no longer in the running. Haslett, the interim head coach after Scott Linehan’s firing, could land on his feet in Green Bay as the Packers’ new defensive coordinator.That leaves us with four candidates.

So why not Jason Garrett? The mere fact that he has made it to finalist status might be a shock to some and if he was to be hired as head coach, could be termed a stunner around the league after Dallas’ mediocre showing this season on offense.

Maybe Garrett was undeservedly assessed too much of the blame for the Cowboys’ struggles this season after a stellar 2007 campaign — Garrett’s first as an offensive coordinator. After all, it wasn’t Garrett’s fault that Tony Romo got hurt and missed time at midseason. Not many teams lose their starting quarterback and continue to pile up points at record pace. Garrett was also faced with the unenviable task of implementing wide receiver Roy Williams into the offense during the season after Williams’ acquisition from Detroit. Inserting Williams into the mix without the aid of a full offseason or training camp isn’t easy, especially when a guy named Terrell Owens is on the other end of the line of scrimmage wanting the ball. Also, top running back Marion Barber was hobbled down the stretch with a toe injury.

By all accounts, Jason Garrett appears to be an astute football man. He’s a Princeton grad and his father Jim has been a collegiate coach and worked in the NFL as an assistant coach and scout. His brothers, John and Judd, both work for the Cowboys as well.

Just last year, Garrett was offered the head coaching jobs at Atlanta and Baltimore, but came back to Dallas as the league’s highest-paid assistant coach at $3 million per year, possibly looking to become the Cowboys’ next coach some day. Garrett suddenly didn’t forget to coach in one year.

Too often we look at offensive and defensive numbers when trying to judge if a coordinator will make a head coach when in fact, owners and general managers are looking at qualities such as character, leadership, discipline when they are doing their appraisals.

If Garrett has displayed those qualities during his interviews, then it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him as the Rams next head coach.

St. Louis Rams Short List: Coaching Search Down to Five

The St. Louis Rams’ coaching search is in the home stretch.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that five candidates are finalists for the head coaching position. They are, in alphabetical order:

–Leslie Frazier, Minnesota defensive coordinator

–Jason Garrett, Dallas offensive coordinator

–Jim Haslett, Rams interim head coach

–Rex Ryan, Baltimore defensive coordinator

–Steve Spagnuolo, New York Giants defensive coordinator

Haslett has already interviewed with the Rams’ brass in Los Angeles and Ryan was interviewed by general manager Billy Devaney on Sunday in Baltimore. Frazier is slated to be interviewed on Thursday in L.A. Spagnuolo and Garrett have yet to be interviewed, but it appears meetings have been set up with both of them. The P-D reports that the finalists will meet with Devaney and Rams ownership in L.A.

The final list looks attractive. Spagnuolo, even with Sunday’s loss in the NFC Divisional playoff round, has built a vaunted defense in New York with the Giants. The same could be said for Ryan, whose defense has carried the Ravens to the AFC Championship game in Pittsburgh this weekend. Ryan, though, can’t be hired until his team is eliminated from the playoffs. That could hinder his chances of landing a head coaching job this season. Teams might not be willing to wait until February to hire a coach because many prospective assistant coaches could be snatched up by then.

Frazier, like Spagnuolo and Ryan, has built a reputation as a top-tier defensive mind. In fact, Spagnuolo and Frazier were on the same staff together in Philadelphia from 1999-2002 learning their craft under Jim Johnson.

Haslett is the only one of the five to have any head coaching experience, having been the head coach in New Orleans before coming to St. Louis as the defensive coordinator under Scott Linehan. But Haslett had 12 games to impress the Rams and his team went just 2-10 under him to finish the season.

Garrett was a hot commodity last season after directing Dallas’ explosive offense. But he cooled this season when things in the Dallas offensive huddle became, well, explosive. Tony Romo, Terrell Owens, Jason Witten and Co. never could get on the same page and as a result, the offers for Garrett’s services weren’t as frequent as they were last season when they forced owner Jerry Jones to bump Garrett’s pay to keep him in Big D.

The Rams figure to face some fierce competition if they choose to hire someone other than Haslett. The remaining four have interviewed elsewhere and reportedly Ryan and Spagnuolo are finalists for the New York Jets’ opening.

Under normal circumstances, I could see the Rams getting the loser of the Jets sweepstakes — Ryan or Spagnuolo, who apparently has known Devaney for years, but also had a lengthy interview with the Jets. Yet I also can’t see the Rams waiting on Ryan if the Ravens make it to the Super Bowl.

So expect the Rams to wait for the AFC Championship game to be in the books before settling on their head coach.

St. Louis Rams Coaching Search: Leader Wanted in St. Louis to Show Male Sheep the Way

The search has begun for the St. Louis Rams as they try to find someone to lead the team back to prominence and out of the cellar of the NFC West.

New general manager Billy Devaney will interview Green Bay assistant head coach/linebackers coach Winston Moss sometime this week to lead off the parade.

Moss has never been a coordinator in college or the NFL, but that is of little importance to Devaney, who told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the next coach of the Rams, first and foremost, “needs to be the leader in our building. He needs to change the atmosphere inside our building. This leader, whoever it is, has to reconnect with our fan base.”

That’s not saying that Winston Moss is the leading candidate for the spot vacated by the fired Scott Linehan, who gave way to interim coach Jim Haslett. But apparently Moss fits the criteria that Devaney has laid out.

Devaney will lean on an experienced group of football men as he canvasses the league for the right candidate. He said Tuesday that Bobby Beathard, a four-time Super Bowl-winning executive at Washington and his former boss at San Diego, will be a sounding board along with Rams director of player personnel Lawrence McCutcheon. In addition, former Big Red tackle and Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf and former league MVP Marshall Faulk will be asked for their input.

Having those people in his corner will give Devaney the best chance at trying to pinpoint the right man for the job, not to mention, discover any warts that might be hidden by prospective candidates. He might be anxious to get an outsider’s opinion of Jim Haslett, who will also get to interview for the job he kept “cold” for the final 12 weeks of the season. Haslett went 2-10 during his audition and lost his last 10.

The fact that Devaney highlighted leadership in his criteria means he is more interested in substance rather than style points or trying to lure the circuit’s hottest coordinator.

Devaney was part of a coaching search last year when Atlanta was looking to replace Bobby Petrino. The Falcons interviewed the likes of Baltimore defensive coordinator Rex Ryan before settling on relative unknown Mike Smith, who was previously the defensive coordinator at Jacksonville. We know how that turned out — Smith’s Falcons won the NFC South a year after the franchise sank to new depths during the Michael Vick saga.

That’s proof that a struggling team doesn’t need to throw big bucks at someone like Bill Cowher to have success. They don’t have to have the hot name like Jason Garrett (last year), Steve Spagnuolo (last year and this year) or Josh McDaniels (see Spagnuolo).

Rex Ryan is an intriguing possibility. For the time being, he’s off limits because the Ravens are preparing for this week’s AFC Wild Card playoff game at Miami. Once the Ravens’ season is over, Ryan is worth taking another look at. He’s an excellent schemer who has been able to put pressure on offenses in 4-3 and 3-4 sets. Then again, he is able to deploy players such as Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Bart Scott, Terrell Suggs. What do those players have in common? They don’t play for the Rams.

Is Ryan a “leader” who has the qualities that Devaney is looking for? Or is he the beneficiary of having premier talent at his disposal? If Devaney passes on Ryan again, we should know Devaney’s opinion. But picking his brain is worth the time and effort.

If I was pressed with compiling a list of candidates for the Rams, I would start with these two men:

Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz — Schwartz has been the Titans’ defensive coordinator for eight seasons and is labeled as intense by some, a numbers freak by others. Bottom line, he has gotten great production out the Titans on defense the last two seasons.

Minnesota defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier — Frazier knows a thing or two about defense, having played for the Chicago Bears when they won the Super Bowl following the 1985 season. He helped turn around Philadelphia as an assistant before moving on to Cincinnati and Indianapolis, places where his charges showed marked improvement. He’s in his second season in charge of the Vikings’ defense and is well-respected around the league.

Who do you think is the best candidate for the St. Louis Rams?

• Jim Haslett
• Rex Ryan
• Winston Moss
• Jim Schwartz
• Mike Martz
• Leslie Frazier
• Steve Spagnuolo

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Jay Zygmunt Out as GM for St. Louis Rams

While it remains to be seen if there will be a new coach roaming the sidelines for the St. Louis Rams next season, one thing is for certain.

The person calling the shots for the Rams organization will be different.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Monday that Rams’ vice president of football operations/general manager Jay Zygmunt would soon be out. That timetable was sped up to Monday afternoon when the team announced that the Rams and Zygmunt mutually agreed to part ways.

Jay Zygmunt has been a lightning rod for controversy in recent years, mainly because of his ascension to a high-profile position in charge of football decisions despite never having an on-field background.

Zygmunt, who has been with the Rams since 1982, previously was the man in charge of legal matters, the salary cap and contract negotiations and was highly regarded for his performance in those areas. But after the Rams’ Super Bowl victory following the 1999 season, his authority expanded to include that of president of football operations.

Mike Martz was a rookie head coach in 2000, Jay Zygmunt was a rookie in charge of football operations and Charlie Armey was a veteran talent evaluator at the time and well-respected in league circles. Armey had the title of general manager, but he didn’t pull the most weight in regards to authority.

It made for a sometimes crazy and uncomfortable situation and it came to a boil during the 2005 season when Martz was sidelined due to health issues. During an October game, Martz called then-offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild at halftime to offer some advice. Martz, who was not at the game, again tried to contact Fairchild via a phone call to security in the second half, but Zygmunt headed off the security guard and sent him to team president John Shaw’s suite. Shaw refused to let Fairchild take the call from Martz, saying he would not grant an outside live phone into the coaches’ box. In January 2006, Martz was relieved of his duties as head coach.

Zygmunt’s departure signals a major change in the way the Rams’ front office will operate. Not only will Jay Zygmunt not be there, it’s expected that Shaw’s role with the team will be diminished. It’s believed that Shaw is looking to ease into retirement and will stay on only to advise new owners Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez on financial matters. Shaw was close to Rosenbloom and Rodriguez’s mother, Georgia Frontiere, who previously owned the team.

Billy Devaney, the Rams’ vice president of personnel, is expected to have more say in the team’s matters and perhaps lead a search for the team’s next head coach.

Illinois Fighting Illini and Bruce Weber Welcome Alex Legion to Lineup in Win

The University of Illinois men’s basketball team was bolstered by the much-anticipated debut of sophomore guard Alex Legion on Saturday.

Legion, a 6-foot-5 transfer from Kentucky who just became eligible, came off the bench to score six points in 18 minutes in Illinois’ 82-51 win over Detroit Mercy at Assembly Hall. Legion was one of the nation’s top 50 recruits coming out of Oak Hill (Va.) Academy when he signed with Kentucky.

“You have to give the kid credit,” Illini coach Bruce Weber said told reporters after the game. “He made his first shot. I think it was the first time he touched the ball. He’s not shy about shooting. He’s got to be better on the defensive end with the team defensive concept. We got better because we watched film. He’s not had a chance to watch film on himself. Now he has a chance to watch and see what he’s doing. Over the next five or six games, I hope he can make progress.”

The Illini are hoping Legion can play a bigger role on Tuesday when they travel to St. Louis to face Missouri in the annual Braggin’ Rights game at Scottrade Center. Illinois has won eight straight over Mizzou in the series.

Bright Spots for Blues: Patrik Berglund and Best Prospects in NHL

While the St. Louis Blues are once again facing an uphill battle in their attempt to earn a postseason berth — the team has been ravaged by injuries — there have been some bright spots.

Rookie center Patrik Berglund has been everything the Blues’ brass thought he would be and is a candidate to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie.

Berglund has amassed 21 points in 27 games, including 11 goals. Also, he’s far and away the team leader in plus/minus at a +11.

With the rash of injuries, the Blues have had to rely on their farm system and the waiver wire. The latter has produced big dividends in the form of B.J. Crombeen, the son of former Blues forward Mike Crombeen.

B.J. Crombeen was claimed off waivers from Dallas and has scored six goals in 16 games.

Further giving Blues fans hope is the recent rankings put out by Hockey’s Future. For the second straight season, the Blues have been tabbed as having the league’s best pool of prospects.

And if the Blues continue to wallow in the depths of the Western Conference, chances are good they can add yet another top shelf prospect in next year’s entry draft.

The St. Louis Rams are Fading Under Head Coach Jim Haslett

Sunday’s embarrassing 17-16 defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers will make it tough for the St. Louis Rams to bring back interim head coach Jim Haslett.

For the second week in a row, the Rams enjoyed a fourth quarter lead only to see the opponent walk off with the victory. This time, the Rams held a 16-3 advantage with just over four minutes to play before the 49ers pulled off the comeback.

The Rams showed some spunk and won their first two games under Jim Haslett, but since then have dropped nine straight in varying fashions. Simply put, they haven’t been able to close out games.

Even though he was handed a sub-par product upon the dismissal of Scott Linehan, Haslett has done little to prove to Rams ownership he should be the choice to lead the team. He’s had ample time to rally the troops and “coach them up,” but he hasn’t gotten the job done.

That said, the Rams will be hard-pressed to bring in a big name as a replacement. Owner Chip Rosenbloom could sell the team if a good offer comes along and any prospective head coach would be reluctant to sign a long-term deal if ownership is in a state of flux.

In other words, Marty Schottenheimer and Bill Cowher will not be seen shopping for homes in the St. Louis suburbs.

Ramblings from St. Louis: Keith Tkachuk hits 1,000 points and the Rams Still Stink

–Congratulations are in order for Blues forward Keith Tkachuk, who scored career NHL point 1,000 with a goal in the Blues’ 4-2 win at Atlanta on Sunday.

We keep waiting for the 36-year-old Tkachuk to fade into the background and for his days as a top-six forward to come to an end, but “Walt” keeps coming back for more and despite a recent scoring slump, has 16 points in 22 games. He will be a free agent after this season.

Speaking of the Blues, goaltender Chris Mason may be aligning himself for more playing time in the future. Mason got the win on Sunday and has won his last three starts. He has stopped 106 of the last 109 shots he has faced. His goals against average this season is 2.29, compared to Manny Legace’s 3.19.

–Things were looking rosy for the Saint Louis University Billikens when they upset then-ranked Boston College by a 53-50 score at home on Nov. 22. But since then, SLU has dropped a pair of road games at Nebraska (71-57) and Detroit Mercy (62-57). Next up is a date at Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Tuesday. While SIUC’s 2-3 record doesn’t look too glitzy, keep in mind that two of the Salukis’ losses came against Duke and UCLA. Simply put, if SLU wants to put key wins on its resume in order to entertain NCAA Tournament hopes, a triumph in Carbondale is paramount.

–The St. Louis Rams have been just plain offensive on offense this season. The Rams rank dead last in the NFL in touchdowns scored (12) on offense and overall (13). It was more of the same on Sunday in a 16-12 defeat at the hands of Miami. All of the Rams points came off the foot of Josh Brown via field goals. The Male Sheep have gone eight straight quarters without a touchdown.

–Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, who suffered a concussion the week before against Chicago, had a passer rating of 22.2 and threw three interceptions. The Rams picked a bad year to have a bad year — Detroit and Cincinnati seem to have dibs on the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Bulger is clearly on the downside of his career. He was exposed way too much in Mike Martz’s system and the hits are starting to take their toll. Despite already giving big money to Bulger in 2007, the Rams have to draft a quarterback next spring.

–Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel will apparently have a void to fill on his coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Dave Christensen has reportedly accepted the head coaching job at Wyoming. He’s expected to stay on board as the Tigers prepare for Saturday’s Big 12 title game date with Oklahoma in Kansas City.

Blues trade Lee Stempniak to Maple Leafs for Steen, Colaiacovo

When the St. Louis Blues re-signed right winger Lee Stempniak to a three-year contract after scoring 27 goals in the 2006-07 season, they envisioned the West Seneca, N.Y. native taking his game to another level.

It turned out Stempniak couldn’t even match his production from that breakout season.

Lee Stempniak was traded by the Blues to Toronto on Monday in exchange for center Alexander Steen and defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo, a pair of former first-round draft picks of the Maple Leafs.

“Lee has done a tremendous job in St. Louis,” Blues President John Davidson said in a press release. “He is a classy individual and we would like to thank him for all of his work on and off the ice that he has provided to the St. Louis Blues.”

Stempniak, 25, scored 13 points through 14 games this season, though he netted only three goals. The former Dartmouth captain is signed through the 2009-10 with a cap number of $2.5 million each season.

While Stempniak has been a serviceable player, his offensive numbers never lived up to his contract. Last year, he netted 13 goals and had just 38 points in 80 games. That came on the heels of a 27-goal, 52-point campaign, which would net him a three-year, $7.5 million deal.

Even though Stempniak was scoring at nearly a point-per-game clip through 14 games, it appears the Blues wanted to trade him while his value was high. He scored the overtime game-winner on Friday in the Blues’ 3-2 win over Anaheim.

In return for Stempniak, the Blues got some help up the middle in Steen, the son of former Winnipeg great Thomas Steen and the 24^th overall choice in 2002. They also bolstered the blueline with Colaiacovo, who has shown some offensive ability. Colaiacovo was the 17^th pick overall in 2001.

“We feel we have improved our club today for both the short and long term by adding Carlo and Alex,” Davidson said. “Carlo is solid two-way defenseman and will provide depth to our blueline and Alex can play center or wing and can score at the NHL level.”

With center Andy McDonald out for an extended period of time, the addition of the 24-year-old Steen gives the Blues some skill up the middle, though he shouldn’t be confused with a No. 1 center. Steen has only amassed two goals and two assists in 20 games. Steen’s best season was 2005-06 when he netted 18 goals and had 45 points in 75 games.

Rookie forward T.J. Oshie is still out with a high ankle sprain, but Davidson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Friday he expects Oshie to command more ice time when he comes back based on what the youngster has shown the Blues to date, thus making Stempniak somewhat expendable.

Colaiacovo could be the gem of the deal and give the Blues’ corps of defensemen an offensive spark if he can stay healthy. The 25-year-old is in his sixth NHL season, but injuries have kept him from playing a full slate and realizing his potential. He battled a groin injury last season and only skated in 28 games. He accumulated eight goals and nine assists in 48 games the season before. Colaiacovo has one assist in 10 games.

Bruce Weber, Illini Rebound with Highly-Touted 2009 Recruiting Class

Despite coaching the Fighting Illini to the national championship game in St. Louis in his second season as the head basketball coach, the common feeling was that Bruce Weber did it with inherited players from former coach Bill Self.

Since that 2004-05 campaign, Illinois has progressively seen the wins get harder to come by. In the years since that 37-2 finish and heartbreaking loss to North Carolina in the title game, the Fighting Illini have gone 26-7, 23-12 and then 16-19 last season when the Illini failed to make the Big Dance or the National Invitational Tournament.

Now Weber is coming off what many think has been his best recruiting class as he begins his sixth season at Champaign.

Rivals.com ranked the Illinois’ early-signing period haul 10th in the nation. Scout.com rated Weber’s work 13^th nationally. ESPNU had other thoughts, instead ranking the group at No. 23.

The Illinois backcourt should have a different look in 2009-10 and recruits Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson and Joseph Bertrand could play a part in it.

Paul, Richardson and Bertrand are all shooting guards and hail from the Land of Lincoln, giving proof that Weber can indeed get the state’s best to come to Champaign. They could stir memories of when Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head were running wild for the Illini during their 2004-05 run. Those three were wooed by Self, who would win the elusive title at Kansas last season.

Richardson, the marquee player of the class, toiled at Peoria Central before transferring to a Nevada prep school for his senior high school season. He has shown that he can take defenders to the rim while being able to connect from long distance if defenders lay off.

Weber said Paul, Richardson and Bertrand can play either point or the off-guard, giving him much flexibility with his lineup.

The Fighting Illini went across the Mississippi River into Missouri to get their lone big guy from this recruiting class. Tyler Griffey, a 6-foot-8 forward from Lafayette High in suburban St. Louis, is a player who can face up to the basket, hit mid-range jumpers and set picks for the new guards. The last time Illinois got a player from Lafayette, they nabbed Robert Archibald, who started at center under Bill Self, graduated in 2002, and was a second round pick in the NBA draft.

Bruce Weber might be able to fill one more slot for the 2009-10 class with a true point guard and it appears he has already gotten off to a rocking start for his 2010-11 recruiting class.

Weber has three verbal commitments for that group, including one from 6-5 Jereme Richmond from Waukegan. Richmond is considered one of the top juniors nationally. Crandall Head of Chicago Crane and the younger brother Luther Head, has also giving a verbal commitment.

Illinois will get a boost from the arrival of sophomore guard Alex Legion in January. Legion transferred from Kentucky to the Illini last season after the first semester and per NCAA rules, Legion has had to sit out. Legion came from the Oak Hill (Va.) Academy basketball factory and signed with Michigan, but backed out when Tommy Amaker was fired and went with Kentucky.

Report: Contract Extension for Gary Pinkel at Missouri

University of Missouri football fans might be able to breathe a bit easier soon.

According to ESPN.com’s Pat Forde on Friday, head coach Gary Pinkel has agreed to terms to a contract extension that will give him a nifty pay raise. However, a Mizzou spokesperson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Friday that no such agreement has been reached, though one is imminent.

Few details were revealed by Forde, but the extension is believed to put Pinkel’s annual salary around $2.5 million per year. It bears noting that Forde is a 1987 University of Missouri alum, so it’s safe to say Forde is well-connected when it comes to Mizzou and perhaps the Post-Dispatch is taking a cautious approach before reporting any such accord.

Regardless of which source you would like to believe, keeping Pinkel is paramount for the Tigers to continue the momentum they have built in recent years.

Mizzou is 21-4 under his watch the last two seasons and beat Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl last season. The Tigers have a shot for getting a BCS nod next month in the Big 12 Conference title game for the second straight year. The Tigers have already sewn up the Big 12 North Division crown.

Mizzou will undoubtedly want to keep Pinkel and his top assistants in the fold. With the Tigers faced with the reality of not having senior quarterback Chase Daniel, senior safety William Moore and senior tight end Chase Coffman next season, there’s also the chance of Mizzou losing standout sophomore do-it-all Jeremy Maclin to the NFL draft next spring. Since Maclin is a redshirt sophomore, he will be three years removed from high school and eligible for the draft. With Pinkel and his staff in tow, the Tigers won’t have to worry about having any recruiting pipelines severed with a new staff coming aboard.

The Tigers are 9-2 heading into the Nov. 29 showdown with rival Kansas at Arrowhead.

Meanwhile, Missouri’s neighbor to the east — Illinois — will have to brace itself to see if offensive coordinator Mike Locksley stays in the fold. Locksley, according to ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich, interviewed for the head coaching position at Clemson recently.

Locksley, in his fourth season at Illinois, is a highly-regarded recruiter who came to the Illini along with head coach Ron Zook. Locksley was on Zook’s staff at Florida from 2003-04.

Locksley hails from Washington, D.C., played his college ball at Towson and spent six years as an assistant at Maryland. He is a big reason why the Illini have been able to recruit better in the Maryland/D.C. area. Wide receiver Arrelious Benn, backup quarterback Eddie McGee and cornerback Vontae Davis all came from D.C., where the Illini have pulled eight players from.