BERNIE BITS
Let’s Talk About J.J. Wetherholt: Baseball America does an exceptional job of evaluating MLB prospects and the staff believes the Cardinals have a very good on the way Wetherholt. The infielder was the 7th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, dropping to the Cardinals because of concerns over an injured hamstring. Baseball America says Wetherholt has “the hit tool and power potential to move quickly through the lower levels and reach stardom on the big league club.” His estimated arrival time in St. Louis? Late during the 2025 season … if not sooner. Wetherholt bats from the left side. His landing in the majors could come sooner if the Cardinals trade third baseman Nolan Arenado.
Here’s Baseball America evaluator Geoff Pontes had to say about Wetherholt in a recent chat with BA readers: “My guess is Wetherholt breaks camp with Double-A Springfield with a potential mid-season ETA. If Wetherholt hits there’s no reason not to view him as the heir to Arenado at third base. I believe (Thomas) Saggese gets a good, long look as the everyday second baseman next season. If the rumors are true and Arenado is moved to a contender some time between now and the trade deadline, Wetherholt would have a clear path to playing time. As far as the player he has a really nice blend of excellent plate skills, raw power and some twitch. There’s shades of Alex Bregman here in my opinion.”
Let’s Talk About Mizzou Football: The Tigers are 7-3 overall, including 3-3 in SEC play. If they win out – and that includes a bowl game – Mizzou would finish 10-3 overall and 5-3 in the SEC. That’s a good season, especially by Missouri football’s historical standards. Heck, even a nine-win season would be admirable. That said, Mizzou was hyped to the heavens before the season, ranked 8th nationally in the AP poll. After an 11-win breakout in 2023, many in the MU fan base and the Mizzou media colony were radiating with optimism and viewed the Tigers as a likely participant in the first ever 12-team national playoff. That won’t happen now, and while Missouri can still have a season to be proud of, the failure to deliver on heightened expectations was disappointing. Missouri had a chance to move up to a more elite level – and the prominence that comes with a spot in the playoffs – and couldn’t get there. And the conditions were favorable for pulling that off; to this date of the season only four of the 16 SEC teams have had an easier schedule than Missouri.
Let’s Talk About Masyn Winn: I didn’t expect the Cardinals’ shortstop to win the National League Rookie of the Year award. Not with the Pirates’ mountainous ace Paul Skenes towering over the rookie landscape. Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill and Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio finished second and third (respectively) in the voting conducted by the Baseball Writers Association of America. But I have a problem here. Winn did not receive a single vote. I’m not talking about a first-place vote, or even a second-place vote. Winn did not draw a third-place vote. Not one. Which means Winn didn’t command as much respect as rookie Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga, who was given four third-place nods.
Based on the Baseball Reference version of Wins Above Replacement, Winn led all rookie major-league position players with 4.9 total WAR. He was first among MLB rookies in defensive WAR. He was second among MLB rookies in offensive WAR. He led all big-league shortstops – including veterans – in Defensive Runs Saved. The august Fielding Bible panel honored Winn by naming him the best shortstop in the majors.
Chourio, a terrific hitter, posted only 0.7 WAR for his defensive work. Merrill, a slightly above-average center fielder, performed 27 percent above league average offensively (per OPS+) and deserved second-place recognition. He gets credit for playing well in center – a new position for him – after Padres manager Mike Shildt moved him to CF.
I don’t understand why Winn was shut out. I know he was worn down offensively late in the season after an intense sixth-month workload as a 22-year old, and his charged error count was on the high side. (Winn was a NL gold glove finalist at shortstop, but the voters chose Colorado’s Ezequiel Tovar – a legit selection.
In fairness to the voters, Winn ranked third among NL rookie position players in the FanGraphs version of WAR. That said, Winn played a more difficult and strenuous position than Merrill and Chourio, and finished with a superior fWAR defensively. FanGraphs rated Merrill and Chourio above Winn in the baserunning department. I’m just saying … not one down-ballot vote for Winn? Good grief.
Let’s Talk More About Mizzou Football: To me, the most disappointing aspect of the Tigers’ season is their 0-3 record in SEC road games. And while Mizzou made a spirited comeback before losing 34-30 soul crusher at South Carolina, that doesn’t excuse a sequence of first-half no-shows in the three road losses to Texas A&M, Alabama and South Carolina. Here’s a snapshot look at the first-half disparity in those games. Missouri started slowly and poorly and wasn’t competitive in the first two quarters of those road tests:
— Points: Opponents 58, Mizzou 6.
— Yards: Opponents 739, Mizzou 343
— Yards passing: Opponents 209, Mizzou 111.
— Third down conversions: Missouri was 0 for 18.
There is a definitive line in Mizzou’s season. Unlike 2023, when the Tigers had no problem squaring off and competing full throttle against the best teams on the schedule, this year’s squad has been soft away from home. The second–half surge at South Carolina was an exception, but Mizzou trailed SC by 15 points at the half. At least there was a response this time. But pardon me if I don’t do the Truman the Tiger Fanboy thing.
According to CFB Stats, Missouri is 0-3 versus ranked teams this season and averaged only 13.3 points in those three games. Against unranked teams, the Tigers’ scoring average is 34.3 points per game.
The better teams leave Mizzou exposed. That includes the Missouri defense, which has allowed 36.3 points per game against ranked teams compared to only 13 points yielded per game against unranked teams.
Against FBS level winning teams, the Tigers have given up 27 points per game compared to 16 points conceded per game against non-winning FBS opponents.
It wasn’t like that in 2023. Here’s one example. Last season Missouri scored 35 per game against unranked opponents but were still within range with their average of 28 points per game against five ranked opponents. And there wasn’t much of a gap on defense … with Mizzou yielding an average of 19.4 points to unranked teams and 23 points to ranked teams.
Let’s Talk About One More Thing With Mizzou Football: Missed tackles. Broken tackles. Blown coverage assignments. It’s embarrassing. The latest debacle occurred Saturday at South Carolina. SC’s talented quarterback, LaNorris Sellers, all but vaporized the Missouri pass coverage with a 70 percent completion rate, 353 yards, and five touchdown throws including the game winner in the final seconds. The average South Carolina reception in this game was just under 17 yards. The Carolina receivers raced for 216 yards after the catch, and 133 yards after contact. According to Sports Info Solutions, when South Carolina completed a pass, Mizzou defenders had 12 combined missed or broken tackles. This season, in seven games against Power Conference opponents, the Missouri defense has been zapped for 935 yards after the catch, and 366 yards after contact. And don’t get me started on all of the coverage screwups. This is all a bad look for first-year Mizzou defensive coordinator Corey Batoon.
Let’s Talk About Robert Thomas And Your St. Louis Blues: In 11 games without the inured (ankle) center Robert Thomas, the Blues went 3-7-1 for the NHL’s worst points percentage (.318) since Oct. 26. Without Thomas, the Blues scored an average of just 2.09 goals per game. In the 11-game stretch the Blues scored three or fewer goals 10 times, two or fewer goals seven times, and banked exactly one goal in four of the contests.
With all due respect to Thomas it’s ridiculous to see such a severe drought choke the offense during his absence. The good news: Thomas will be back in the lineup for Tuesday night’s game vs. Minnesota at Enterprise Center.
The truth is, the Blues have been a goals-challenged team for the second consecutive season. Since the start of the 2023-2024 campaign the Blues rank 29th among the 32 NHL teams in goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (2.27), 28th in goals per 60 minutes (2.54) at even strength, and 28th in goals per 60 minutes (2.75) at all strengths. I believe this is a trend.
The Blues have been outscored by 19 goals (44-23) overall in the 11 games with Thomas sidelined; that’s a pathetic 34.3% goal share. The Blues are … uninteresting.
Let’s Talk About Robert Thomas, Again: Before going down with his injury, Thomas had an exceptional faceoff win percentage of 62.6 percent. His ability to win draws in all three zones was important, and his presence can only help the Blues reestablish better puck control.
Let’s Talk About The Kansas City Chiefs: First of all, if you bothered to watch my Friday preview video of the Chiefs-at-Bills game – and if you are the type of NFL fan to make investments – I gave you two recommendations: the Bills to win and cover the spread (yes) and quarterback Josh Allen rushing for more than 33.5 yards in the game. That’s 2 for 2.
As for the Chiefs, they’ve been cutting it close in too many games, and a loss at Buffalo was hardly a surprise. My gosh, to win 15 in a row, with many by one-score margins … the end of the streak was just a matter of time for the Chiefs and probably should have happened earlier than this.
The Mahomes-Allen rivalry is compelling for many reasons. Allen is actually 4-1 against Majomes and the Chiefs in regular-season matchups. But … it can be difficult to realize/remember that … because Mahomes/KC is 3-0 against Allen/Bills in the postseason.
Let’s Talk About Patrick Mahomes: I have to say, it’s weird to see Mahomes listed as unusual places in the NFL quarterback ratings:
– 20thth in passer rating and yards per attempt.
– 15 touchdowns and a league-most 11 interceptions. That TD-INT ratio isn’t usually attached to his name.
– Mahomes’ interception percentage (3.2) is the 9th worst in the league among 36 quarterbacks. He has a poorer INT percentage than Daniel Jones and Jameis Winston, among others.
– Mahomes’ touchdown-pass percentage (4.4) is lower than that of Will Levis, Andy Dalton, Sam Darnold, Derek Carr, Drake Maye and others.
Mahomes is a great, great quarterback. But he’s enduring some difficult challenges because of injuries to receivers and backs and pass protection issues at offensive tackle. I don’t think the Chiefs Kingdom needs to worry about him.
Let’s Talk A Little More About The Chiefs: Coach Andy Reid’s machine must become more efficient and cut down on the haphazard mistakes. Kansas City has a minus 5 turnover differential, and only three NFL offensive line groups have been flagged for more holding penalties. They’re also 9-1. Always dangerous.
Are the Bills now the team to beat in the AFC? It’s quite possible … if you are inclined to trust them. They’re off to a fantastic start at 9-2, but we’ll know more about the Bills’ chances when they return from the bye week to play consecutive games against the 49ers, Rams and Lions.
Hey, we didn’t see Taylor Swift at the Chiefs-Bills game. And we didn’t see much of Travis Kelce, who had two catches for 8 measly yards.
Let’s Talk About The NFL MVP Race: It’s back on. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had the early lead – in the perception race – but that’s no longer the case. Jackson is very much right there, but here comes Josh Allen, Lions quarterback Jared Goff, and Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. There’s a sleeper candidate in Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, and we can’t rule out Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels – even though his torrid early pace has slowed considerably. Ravens running back Derrick Henry is in the picture as well.
Speaking of Lamar Jackson: Sunday’s loss at Pittsburgh gave Jackson a 1-4 record in his last five starts against the Steelers. In the five games he’s been sacked 21 times, lobbed eight interceptions and has been limited to five touchdown passes.
Let’s Talk About Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson: Stupid. Sad. A waste of time. Let’s turn the commentary over to the Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins. She’s a sportswriting treasure.
“Was Jake Paul’s not the most punchable face in the history of punched faces? It was a face with all the character and lived experience of a canned ham,” Jenkins wrote. “It was the consummate face of an influencer, with all the smirky grifting in search of the lux life that term suggests. There wasn’t a hint of true toughness — much less truth — in it. Just blandness cloaked in a poseur-pharaoh’s beard and topped by some box-color bleached curls, and God did you ever want Mike Tyson to put his very real fist in it.”
Jenkins wasn’t finished with Paul, describing him as “a 27-year-old vlogger without a single discernible real-world experience or accomplishment, who was born the year Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear off.
“In 2017, Paul released the track “It’s Everyday, Bro,” in which he championed his burgeoning internet following with lines such as this: “It’s everyday, bro, with the Disney Channel flow, 5 mill on YouTube in six months, never done before.” And don’t forget this immortal couplet: “And I just dropped some new merch and it’s selling like a god, church.”
And finally, “All week, Paul did his best to sell the merch of this so-called fight, a Netflix production hyped by guttural braying that was presumably meant as a bro’s companion piece to the Tom Brady roast. “I’m here to make $40 million and knock out a legend,” Paul said. In fact, he couldn’t convincingly beat a stiff-kneed old man who was twice his age and had five fewer inches of reach.”
Thanks for reading …
–Bernie
A 2023 inductee into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, Bernie has provided informed opinions and perspective on St. Louis sports through his columns, radio shows and podcasts since 1985.
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