The Journal

Issue date: 4/13/06 Section: Opinion/Editorial

Matt Grover

Over the last decade, St. Louis has grown into a sports Mecca. National publications have praised St. Louis sports fans as being among the most loyal, knowledgeable and respectful sports gurus in the United States. In recent months, superstar athletes such as Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter and Rams wide receiver Issac Bruce have bypassed millions of dollars they were likely to make as free agents and took less money to stay in the city they fell in love with.

However, while St. Louisans are gushing over Cardinals baseball and Rams football, the St. Louis Blues hockey franchise has been ignored in large part because the team has struggled to compete since a lockout suspended play for a season.

Despite qualifying for the NHL playoffs 25 consecutive years - a streak that will end this season - the Blues have found themselves trapped in the shadows of the Cardinals and Rams.

Attendance at Blues games this season has been dismal. Of 30 NHL teams, the Blues rank 26th league-wide in attendance and average just more than 14,000 fans per game in an arena that can seat about 20,000. This equals only 75 percent capacity. Those numbers are miniscule compared to that of the Cardinals. Almost every game for the 2006 season sold out, and the team regularly averages more than 3 million people in attendance annually. Then there is the Rams, who have yet to fail selling out a home game since moving to St. Louis in 1995.

Even St. Louis' own daily publication, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, treats the Blues as the ugly stepsister of the St. Louis sports scene. I recently had to turn to page seven of the sports page to read a game recap and learn that Blues' starting goaltender Curtis Sanford sustained an injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the season. Obviously, that is not nearly as important as the new Busch Stadium having fewer bathroom stalls for women, which apparently warrants front-page coverage.

Now I've heard several arguments as to why the Blues' fan base appears to be thinner then Mary Kate Olsen, but none of those arguments lack substance.

One popular argument is that the Blues are just no good. I agree. For the most part, watching the Blues play hockey this season has been about as painful as having a root canal without the novocaine. But just because the Blues endured one hiccup doesn't mean you should quit pulling for them. The trials and tribulations of this season weren't due to lack of effort.

The team has lost two goalies (Sanford and Patrick Lalime), two of their top defensemen (Barett Jackman and Eric Brewer) and their captain (Dallas Drake) for the season due to injuries. Another player, high-scoring forward Keith Tkachuk, has also missed ample time because of injuries.

Plus, former Blues owner Bill Laurie traded expensive superstars like Chris Pronger and Doug Weight to clear payroll in hopes of selling the team - ­­a mission he completed in March when he sold the Blues to Dave Checketts, a businessman from New York.

Loyal fans stick beside their teams whether they are kicking ass or getting their ass kicked. They embrace the bad times knowing that when the good times arrive they will be all the
sweeter. And better times are ahead.

Checketts has promised to the St. Louis Blues' faithful that he is committed to rebuilding the Blues and turning them into a prominent franchise in St. Louis and in the NHL. These promises shouldn't be taken lightly as Checketts has a history of winning with the NBA's Utah Jazz and New York Knicks and­­­ the NHL's New York Rangers.

Some fans will also say ticket prices are too expensive, but they couldn't be further from the truth. Granted, the Blues do have their share of pricey tickets - tickets as low as $15 are available. In addition, the Blues offer many "two-for-one" offers and student discounts.

Furthermore, the "too expensive" card doesn't work when a recent gander on eBay shows that some fans were willing to invest more than $400 to sit in the bleachers for the Cards' home opener, or at least $44 - the cheapest seats - to attend a Rams game last year.

Look, I love the Cardinals and the Rams. I understand why fans admire and obsess over them, but I don't understand why the Blues are viewed as "the ugly duckling." Especially when the Blues possess much of what St. Louisans admire in athletes - determined work ethic, positive attitude and always hustling.

Fans in this city gush over Cards' shortstop David Eckstein because he always hustles and is constantly defying the odds - regardless of his small stature. Few in this city praise the Blues' Sanford who, despite spending most of his professional career toiling in the minor leagues, came out of nowhere to win 13 games and play .500 hockey for the Blues before an injury ended his season March 13. Think that's unimpressive? The Blues hover 20 games below .500 without Sanford minding the goal.

By the time you read this, the Blues will only have two more home games left before the curtain closes on this season, and few people in this city will hardly notice or even care. After all, baseball season has started and the Rams are preparing for the NFL Draft.

However, if you have a few extra dollars and are looking for something to do, I suggest heading to the Savvis Center and taking in a Blues game. Will they win? Probably not, but you will see a collection of hard-working athletes who are resilient and won't give up - even though the majority of the city has given up on them. Plus, for you ladies, the lines to the bathroom won't be that long. Not only does the Savvis Center have an equal amount of men's and women's restroom facilities, but there probably won't be anybody there to use them.



Matt Grover, a senior journalism major, is a staff writer for The Journal.

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