Last season Missouri went 0-18 in SEC play in a shocking example of futility that we haven't seen very often by a major-conference program during the shot-clock era, which began in the 1985-86 season.

Mizzou coach Dennis Gates has done an outstanding job of instantly turning things around in a dramatic way and the Tigers' impressive rebound from last season's collapse includes a 5-2 record in SEC play. The Tigers are, at worst, a Top 30 team nationally in the national ratings done by Ken Pomeroy, Bart Torvik and the NCAA Net rankings. As things stand now, MU has a strong chance of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.

What's happening is profound. And in this video, I explain why Coach Gates has a chance to make history this season.

Twenty-five years ago today (Jan. 30) the 1999 St. Louis Rams completed an incredible, shocking, and unforgettable season by defeating the Tennessee Titans to win the 34th Super Bowl.

I covered that team from start to finish, and will always treasure the improbable underdog-turned-hero quarterback (Kurt Warner), the sensational running back (Marshall Faulk), cast of playmaking receivers (Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, Az-Hakim, Ricky Proehl), the one-man wall at offensive tackle (Orlando Pace), the tough linebacker who made the game-winning stop (Mike Jones), the warm and emotionally charged head coach Dick Vermeil) and the mad-scientist offensive coordinator (Mike Martz) who orchestrated the "Greatest Show On Turf" ...

In this video, I fondly recap the season that came out of nowhere and salute the stars, the coaches, the characters, the overlooked parts of the team, and the glorious moments and memories that live on.

Come take a ride with me, as we go back in time to 1999.

Thank you.

In this video, I explain the way the Cardinals, in recent seasons, have misused, miscast or otherwise mishandled young arms that were drafted to serve as starting pitchers. To explain my points, I give obvious examples of the mistakes that have been made -- and the incomprehensible lack of a direction or a plan that leaves this front office swerving all over the place to the detriment of the on-field competitive product. This video is a little longer than I like, but I thought it was important to lay all of this out in great detail so you can realize the extent of the problem. Thanks for watching or listening!

In his first year of managing -- ever -- St. Louis Cardinals icon Albert Pujols overcame adversity that included a brutal in-season team slump to get Leones de Escogido into the Dominican Winter League playoffs on the final day of the regular season. From there, Pujols managed Escogido to the league championship after going 10-5 in a round-robin playoff round, then outlasting Tigres del Lacey in a tense seven-game series. The victory ended a eight-season championship drought for the proud Escogido franchise -- the team that young Albert Pujols rooted for as a kid in Santo Domingo.

With another prestigious accomplishment added to his extraordinary resume, Pujols will now guide Escogido into a spot in the Caribbbean Series. After that, he'll resume his duties for MLB Network and continue on as a Global Ambassador for major-league baseball in his role as an assistant to commissioner Rob Manfred.

Pujols would like to manage a MLB team, and he certainly took a step in the direction of that goal by winning a championship as a rookie manager. Congratulations!

The St. Louis Cardinals have had an awfully quiet offseason. At the major-league level, they haven't traded for anyone. They haven't signed a current big-league free agent. And even though John Mozeliak said the team would likely take a "step back" in 2025, he now speaks of a team that possibly will can be an entertaining and winning side that exceeds expectations.

And because of that -- with Mozeliak putting one foot in and keep the other foot out -- the Cardinals refuse to trade pending free-agent pitchers Ryan Helsley and Erick Fedde (and to a lesser point, Steven Matz.) When teams enter a soft rebuild -- not a complete teardown -- it makes sense to trade assets who are headed to free agency. But Mozeliak hasn't done that either.

The question: what would Chaim Bloom do if he was running the baseball operation this offseason instead of Mozeliak? What would be different? And how much would it be different? Or would it be different at all? It doesn't matter because Bloom is busy with the project of rebuilding the minor-league infrastructure and restoring the outdated STL player-development system. It is an important assignment.

Still, I wonder.

If he had Mozeliak's job right now, what would Chaim do? 

According to reports, the Houston Astros are interested in keeping their free-agent third baseman, Alex Bregman. He's still waiting for the right offer to come along, but in the meantime the Astros "final" offer to Bregman is still on the table.(Six years, $156 million.)

If Bregman circles back to make a deal with Houston owner Jim Crane, and the Red Sox miss out on him, the Sox would have more urgency to make a trade for Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado.

I explain all of this and more -- including a couple of Arenado predictions from a national site -- in the latest Bernie Miklasz Show.

In today's video, I follow up on something said by St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak during the team's annual Winter Warm-Up: he doesn't want to trade away pitching, but he might be interested in trading a position player.

Interesting. Who could that be? Who are the REALISTIC trade candidates among the St. Louis position players?

Nolan Arenado isn't in the conversation because the Cards are already trying to trade him. First baseman Willson Contreras has two years left on a contract which pays $18 million annually, though the Cards have a team option for 2028. It includes a $5 million buyout if the Cardinals decline to pick up his option for 2028. That brings the total of guaranteed money owed to Contreras up to $41 million. But he has a full no-trade contract and is enthusiastic about remaining with the Cardinals.

If this is about moving a salary to clear some payroll space, the other Cardinal position players aren't expensive to keep; among them only Brendan Donovan and Lars Nootbaar will be moving into a higher salary bracket. In their first year of salary arbitration, Noobaar and Donovan have submitted requests of $2.95 million and $3.3 million, respectably, for 2025. But those salaries could come in slightly lower than that through a settlement or in the final arbitration ruling.

OK, so does any other position player fit the profile of a trade candidate?

Alec Burleson is a possibility -- in theory, anyway. In today's video I explain why I could see the Cardinals putting "Burly" on the trade market. Not that they will ... but I don't mind trying to come up with an answer to an unsolved mystery. Please offer us your own opinion on this. Thanks.

St. Louis Cardinals icon Albert Pujols should be a unanimous choice -- his name checked on every ballot -- when he becomes eligible for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2028.

I got to thinking about this after one lunkhead declined to vote for Ichiro in the 2025 selection. Ichiro easily passed through, getting 99.7 percent of the vote. But that's not the point.

Some Hall of Fame candidates are no-doubt-about it selections because of their incredible resumes. With these legends, there is nothing to debate, there is no reason to agonize, and you don't need to spend hours and hours on research to check on the validity of his career. It's automatic. The mission of the Baseball Writers Association of America is to identify the most qualified candidates and put them in. So put them in. When a career is so preposterously as strong as Pujols career in MLB, there are no reasons for deliberations ... and no reason whatsoever to withhold a vote.

I discuss this -- and Pujols' extraordinary career -- in this video.

Enjoy!

In today's video, I begin a series that will look at individual St. Louis Cardinals that will have enormous influence -- whether good or bad -- on STL's 2025 offense. And the performances of these hitters -- good or bad -- will shape their future.

With a new front-office regime moving in, taking over next offseason, some decisions will be made based on 2025's showing. Is the hitter a keeper? Do the Cardinals want to move forward with him? Or is he expendable and someone that the team should trade? A lot is on the line.

1st video: Jordan Walker. Which Way Will He Go in 2025?

And I will follow-up with similar videos on Nolan Gorman, Lars Nootbaar, Alec Burleson and Brendan Donovan ... and shorter videos that look at Ivan Herrera, and Michael Siani.

On Thursday we lost Bob Uecker -- the legendary Milwaukee-based baseball broadcaster, comedian, star of films and movies, beer commercials, a guest on the "Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson (more than 100 times!) and all-around cultural force.

Uecker -- a backup catcher on the 1964 World Series champion Cardinals -- died at age 90. Uecker, a Hall of Fame broadcaster, squeezed everything out of those 90 years on this earth. His success was our pleasure. He loved to tell stories that we always adored. He was the best at making self-deprecating jokes that made is all chuckle?

Who does this? Who goes from being a backup, tuba-carrying catcher with 297 games in the majors and a career .200 average -- his initial public platform -- to become a huge star in the entertainment industry?

It was a one-of-a-kind life for a one-of-a-kind guy. Thankfully Uecker shared it with us. If I had a tuba, I'd play it in his honor today. And I just might have to lift a can of Miller Lite and take a sip in his honor.