Blog

BY RANDY GARDNER

What a couple of weeks for the St. Louis Cardinals as they first lose Walt Jocketty and then we lose Mark Lamping. Is there something more than we know here or was it just a good chance for Mark to move on and make his mark in the Big Apple the way he did while he was here in St. Louis.

You look back at Lamping accomplishments especially with the new stadium and the attendance marks that were set here and it is astonishing. You look at the Redbirds during spring training and they are not doing so well, but how much can you really tell until the season starts. Jack Buck use to say: “never believe anything you see in Spring Training.”

The Cards had a rough year last year and there could more in store. Remember folks, with the good comes the bad and we are just a few years removed from a World Series Championship. Look what happened to the Rams, we are still trying to get back to the playoffs.

Good to See Trent Green Back

Speaking of the Rams, what a great move in acquiring Trent Green?. He is a hometown guy and we need that hometown feel on this team right now. He is a solid backup quarterback to Marc Bulger, heck, I can even see him starting a game or two here or there. The only thing that worries me is that he is injury prone especially with the concussions.

If you take a look at the offensive line play over the last couple of years—although you have to do is put 2 and 2 together, and the quarterback might be back on the injured list in this lineup.

It will be really weird to not see number 80 Isaac Bruce in a Rams uniform. People seem to have mixed feelings about this move. I am kind of mixed too. I would have liked to have seen him finish his career here but he was non existent last year. We need some youth and speed at receiver.

This past week, I had a chance to sit down and talk to another former Ram, Jimmy Kennedy, a first round draft pick that just didn’t pan out here in St. Louis. Many people gave him a bad rap including me while he was here but after an in depth 30 minute sit down interview for TV, I quickly learned that this guy is one of the good ones even though he comes from a troubled past.

Jimmy and his two brothers were separated from his mom and adopted at age 6 not coming back together until his high school years. After a troubled start, he played his junior and senior years of high school and got a college scholarship. He stayed five years and got his masters and then went to the NFL. He is very soft spoken but commands your attention as he speaks.

The topic on the day was adoption and how it changes kids lives. He is a living example of that. He talked about how his feelings were hurt when he brought his mom to St. Louis and bought her a new house . She told Jimmy she grew up 40 years in the New York projects and she couldn’t adjust to suburban living and she went back to the projects. Jimmy said that he felt that he had worked so hard for this and then this happened.

It’s a testament to how hard life can be and how someone becomes owned by their past. The best of luck in life and the Jacksonville Jaguars to Jimmy Kennedy.

Don’t forget, sign up for the Dan Seymour Memorial Trivia night, Friday, April 4t at CBC High School. Call 314-651-8712 to register.
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