A couple more before the weekend..

I couldn't resist posting a couple more MO State helmets. I've been stuck with white - and now silver - because I can't get it to look right on maroon shells. I hope to fix that soon.

I tried a couple of "S" helmets, a throwback to the early '80s when the Bears wore a block 'S' on white shells. It's the first helmet I really remember and still one of my favorites to this day. If you want to check out SMS' helmet history (with info compiled by yours truly) check out The Helmet Project's Gateway Conference page.

This is only a test...

I just happened to be driving past Hammons Field at the right time this afternoon...unfortunately my camera came out too late.

It appears they were testing out the video board system at the yard today and I - fortunately - had my camera with me. They were showing baseball on the big screen. I couldn't tell what teams were playing, but it lookeda lot like it was shot at Hammons Field. There were also what appeared to be live shots of the field, taken from an elevated vantage point behind home plate. But, by the time I got parked, got my camera out and walked to where I could see the screen...just test pattern.

What I saw, though, looked glorious. Can't wait to see the big screen in action.

I've got MO State on the brain today and stole some free time at work to make a couple of helmet concepts. I'm just getting started with these and hope to add a few more in the near future - maybe with maroon shells.

Back in business

That's what the end of the high school basketball season and the week-long marathon that is the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship can do to you...sorta make you disappear for awhile. I was quite proud of my self this time around for not falling asleep in the hospitality lounge. Walsh (Ohio) won their first NAIA title, due in large part (pun intended) to the play of 6-foot-10, 260-something pound center Robert Whaley - a former University of Missouri-Columbia signee. He's quite a load. He said he's been invited to the Portsmouth Camp and is serious about finding his way into the NBA.



Interesting information in the Springfield News-Leader today - written by Kary Booher - regarding the Springfield Cardinals' roster - which will be taking shape rapidly. First cuts were to be made today (no word on those yet). The roster limit is 24, with seven of those spots taken up by the bullpen.

Booher raises the possibility of Rick Ankiel spending some time in Springfield this summer. Ankiel has given up on pitching and now wants to make it as an outfielder. He will have to start somewhere - if he clears waivers - and that could be in A ball somewhere. That's a storyline to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.

Gabe Johnson is a possibility at catcher for the 'Birds (I refuse to call them the "Baby Cardinals"). Johnson played 113 games at 3rd base for Double-A Tennessee last season and 18 at catcher. Booher wrote that Johnson played third for the Triple-A team Sunday, but should head behind the plate soon. The right-handed Johnson hit .267 last year, hit 18 home runs and knocked in 66 runs. He hit 27 doubles, 0 triples and stole seven bases. Johnson walked 43 times against 118 strikeouts.

Two candidates mentioned at shortstop are Kevin Estrada and Milko Jaramillo.

Estrada helped his case by going 2-for-3 with a single, homer and stolen base in a 4-2 win Sunday. Drafted in 2002 out of Pepperdine - after playing at Florida - Estrada appeared in 91 games at High-A Palm Beach last season, batting .263 with 82 hits (19 doubles, 5 triples, 3 homers) and an OBP of .326. The switch hitter was hitless in four at-bats at Tennessee, striking out once.

Jaramillo played at Peoria and Palm Beach before getting into 69 games with Tennessee last season. The right-handed Venezuelan hit .223-5-29 with the Smokies.

There was also a photo of Andy Schutzenhofer in the News-Leader. Schutzenhofer is trying to make it to Springfield as a first baseman. He played that position in 108 games at Palm Beach last year, batting .292-3-56. He slugged .367 with a .386 OBP and 36 K's to 51 walks.

There will be much more information on the Cardinals' AA roster in the next few days.

I made it out to Hammons Field for most of the SMS Bears' 3-2, 14-inning win over Middle Tennessee State Sunday. There have been several changes made to the yard since the last time I was there, with several more in progress. I have a lot of thoughts on these and will get to those soon...