It's never too early to think about football

SMS has released its 2005 football schedule and all I have to say is...OUCH!

The Bears open the year at Arkansas Sept. 3. No big deal, just cut the check and get back to Springfield in one piece. Next weekend is Quincy, the D-II patsy du jour. Then comes a visit from SEMO, who went 3-8 last year, winning two of those games (Samford and Tennesse Tech) by a combined six points. So we're looking at a 2-1 start.

Then it gets nasty, starting with a trip to Sam Houston State. The Bearkats - who dropped a thriller at Plaster last year - are coming off their best season in 89 years of college football: 11 wins and a trip to the I-AA semifinals, one game shy of a trip to the 'Nooga.

The Gateway slate is harrowing, with just three home games: Northern Iowa (Oct. 8), Indiana State (Oct. 29) and Illinois State (Nov. 5). The Bears open league play Oct. 1 at defending champ SIU and later have back-to-back trips to Western Kentucky and Youngstown State (Oct. 15 & 22). The regular season finale is Nov. 12 at Western Illinois.

SMS might easily be 2-2 heading into league play. If you win 'em all at home and lose 'em all on the road, it's another 5-6 finish. Coach Ball and the Bears have got to find a way to steal a couple on the road.

It was a big weekend down in Point Lookout. College of the Ozarks swept both Midlands Conference championships - not that anyone in the Springfield media noticed. The women routed College of St. Mary 72-55 for their fourth straight title - and something like 10 of the last 13. That's called domination. The Bobcats won at traditional power Bellevue for the second time this season, 71-69, to finally earn the trip to Nationals.

So much more to get to...another time.

Yeah, I was there

So I wasn't crazy or fanatical enough to camp out all night, but I did get down to Hammons Field to join in the excitement of single-game ticket sales. While some people froze to death - but no doubt had the time of their lives - I picked up EA Sports' MVP Baseball 2005 for the ol' Playstation 2 (Springfield Cardinals now included in the game, but not Hammons Field), watched "Old School" and spent a cozy night in bed.

Mrs. Kess, Peanut, Bug and I didn't get down to the yard until noon or so and the line stretched from the right field box office until the gate near home plate on the first base side - not the main gate. Most folks were in a good mood, excited and anxious about getting tickets to the big Springfield Cardinals vs. St. Louis Cardinals exhibition game. We were there to soak up the atmosphere and maybe snag tickets to the home opener against Tulsa on April 12.

Tickets for the exhibition games sold out early in the afternoon, leading to a mass exodus from the ticket line. Good for us. By the time we got to the windows it was hard to find more than 2 seats together for opening night, but we made do. Yeah, it's not the first-ever game the Springfield Cardinals will play in Hammons Field, but it's the first one that will count. I couldn't be more excited.

It's cool to see the civic pride this team is bringing out. I wore my red home hat around Friday and people struck up conversations everywhere I went. Ticket sales were all over the local newscasts and above the fold on Saturday's News-Leader. Like baseball or not, this has brought a lot of excitement to southwest Missouri. Some duder in line behind me had driven all the way from Joplin to get tickets. The jerseys may say "Springfield," but the excitement is all over the Ozarks.

Here's what sucks...just six hours after tickets for the game sold out, they're already up on EBay. One jerk is getting $162.50 for two $18 tickets. The sellers are getting creative to get around Missouri's scalping laws. One says: "You are bidding on a "Night before ticket sales, Hammons Field" photo. A 'Once in a lifetime' shot of just how devoted the New Springfield Cardinal fans already are!  Included with this photo, the winning bidder will receive 1 pair of tickets (thats 2 seats!),valued at $10.00 ea to the Exhibition game between the Spfld Cardinals vs St. Louis Cardinals." The starting bid for the "picture"? Fifty bucks. The photo, by the way, looks to be a capture from Killian Construction's Web Cam. I feel bad for the families that waited in line for hours to take their kids to see the St. Louis Cardinals and came up empty handed. These EBay scalpers are making big bucks.

I'm off to College of the Ozarks now. The Lady ''Cats are playing for their fourth straight Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference championship and fourth straight bid to Nationals. Put this in the bank...They'll win.

We're born again, there's new grass on the field

It would be hard to believe the first SMS Bears baseball game of the season is Friday were it not for the fact that I've already covered one baseball game this year, College of the Ozarks' 12-7 win over Kansas Wesleyan last Friday night. C of O hosts Sterling for three this weekend.

The Rice University Coca-Cola Classic is a stiff test for the Bears, with three teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last season. Rice and Ole Miss are ranked by Baseball America - 17th and 16th respectively - and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Lamar is getting votes in the NCBWA.

SMS will throw Brett Sinkbeil against Rice Friday at 4:30 p.m. The Bears need him to get out of the gate strong. I guess Paul Marsala will go against Lamar and either David Smith or Jake Shafer? I haven't seen confirmation of this.

Lamar doesn't list any line-up or potential starters. Here's what the Bears will face Friday and Sunday:

Rice (4-1) throws freshman Joe Savery, a lefty. He's already 1-0 this year with a 4.82 ERA. Savery went four innings against CMSU, giving up 5 hits and 2 runs - both earned. Savery walked 3 but struck out 10 - 10!!! - of the 19 batters he faced. He got his win against Oklahoma State, throwing 5 1/3. Struck out 9 and gave up 4 runs on 8 hits.

Ole Miss (1-0) will either start start junior Anthony Cupps, a righty, or junior southpaw Matt Maloney. Cupps got the start in the Rebels' 10-0 win over Arkansas State. He threw 6 shutout innings, scattering 3 hits and striking out 6. Maloney pitched 2 innings with a hit and a strikeout.

Interesting fact about Cupps: He threw against the Bears back in 2003, a game the Bears won (5 3/2 inn., 5 K's, 2H). Adam Pummill went 0-for-2 with a K against Cupps in that game.

Uni note:
It looks like SMS has dropped the traditional block "S" from the hats, replacing it with the Bear logo - worn here by Adam Pummill.


Meh, it's okay I guess. I'll have to see it on the diamond. It's just hard to replace this:

All good things must end, dangit.

I'm referring, of course, to both the Bears' seven game winning streak and any hope of an NHL season.

The loss of Ty Chaney no doubt hurt the Bears, but the big problem was post play. SMS can't afford Tamarr Maclin finishing with 7 points, 7 boards and 5 fouls. Nate Bilyeu is slumping and as much as I like the potential Sky Frazier and Drew Richards have, they're not ready to step right in when TMac gets in trouble.

I know Blake got off to a hot start and finished with 23 points, but I still don't think our guards elevated their play enough to fill in for Chaney's absence.

It was a bad night, even if Terre Haute is a tough place to play (ask WSU and Creighton). I think a Monday night win at Savvis Center is the only way the Bears get to postseason play this year.

SMS Baseball opens the 2005 season Friday at Rice. More on that later...

Speaking of Savvis, it's an empty place now that the NHL season is officially done. I'm sad and I'm tired of all the smug non-hockey types mocking my loss. Knock it off, will ya?

This can end up being a good thing in the long run. The NHL needs a cap to survive. It's worked wonders for the NFL as far as competitive balance goes, and I think it will do the same for the NHL.

If you want to check out some hockey this weekend, the SMS Bears are hosting the Mid-America Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament Friday and Saturday at the Jordan Valley Ice Park. Friday night's the best deal, with four games in two rinks and only $5 to get in. SMS plays SIU-Edwardsville Friday at - it looks like - 6 p.m. Championship games are Saturday.

First post...We're one step closer.

Even if I had to hear it from the ear grater that is the voice of Billy Long, I was thrilled to hear the Name Change bill had passed in the Senate - even better that it was 23-7. The only difficulty was explaining to a 4 year-old and a 3 year-old what it was and why it was a big deal.

I'm just about out the door to the Hollister-Morrisville showdown and the Bears are trailing Indy State 41-33 early in the second half. I would rather the winning streak end at WSU than InSU. Ugh.

About Briggs Stadium: This is a southwest Missouri sports blog, NOT a Southwest Missouri sports blog - note the difference. I will write (blog?) about all things southwest Missouri that interest me as well as the things I do for my J-O-B. I hope you enjoy it and I hope you respond with many comments.

Buckle in. Here we go.