Today I was in the car and heard Bob Ramsey blast the reaction of the young Blues. He really defended AM but then basted Brewer as the captain. Then he made EJ and Cam sound like a putzes for what they said in JR's column. I think that really sums up the locker room. Any pro wouldn't say a word after the coach was fired for their poor play unless it was painfully obvious (and it hasn't been). Where were Brewer, Walt, and Jackman telling these young guys to keep their traps shut? I think there's a leadership problem in our locker room.

1. Take the C from Brewer. Tell him "You are bearing too much of a load. Concentrate on your Hockey, not your leadership.

2. Give the C to Backes: Tell him "This is your reward and wake up call. A captain doesn't sleep through 20 games. Let this C motivate you."

3. To Jackman: "I am taking the A away from you for your play (you are not a pinch in defencemen) and giving it back to you for your grit. Don't lose it"

4. To Boyes: "Go stand in front of an empty net and just shoot the puck. You naturally pick the corners. When you try to pick the corners, you naturally shoot wide. There's no excuse for an NHL goal scorer to miss the net. Shoot at the net, not the corners...that will come naturally."

5. To Perry: "3 moves on a player and a deke shame on your d-man, 3 moves on a player and lose the puck shame on you." Play simple for 2 periods. Save your stuff for when we need you in the clutch."

Hope Walt's mouth feels OK this morning. After last night we're all in a bit of pain...

Every great team has a theme that carries it over the hump. Last year our story took about 15 games to develop. After the injuries to upstarts (EJ), projected stars (Pussy Cat Kariya), and future stars (Oshie), the Blues were left for dead. Murray's message was simple: work hard and give the team a chance to win every night. The message caught on and we rode into the playoffs. The same can be said for teams that made it to the cup. Remember the Avs winning one for old man Borque? How about the Wings winning one for Hossa? (we all know how that turned out). And, of course, the knighting of the next one: Sid the Kid in Pittsburgh. I think part of our lack of ignition is that we don't have a theme. Work hard? Every NHL team has to work hard. Winning teams have something else. They have a spark that might come from a coach's challenge or one blazing star (do I hear the ghost of Brett Hull) that makes the team better than what it is. The Blues are in the midst of transitioning from a team of dump and chase plumbers who have to work hard (because that's the only thing they can excel at) to a team that relies on sizzling stars to elevate the intensity level and, most importantly, make the team believe it can win anytime anyplace. Against Phoenix and Dallas we caught a glimpse. Mason, Backes, EJ, Oshie--all shone. Last year's story won't work for Murray this year. Work hard, don't make mistakes, that's all we need to do (because that's all we can do)--The team hasn't bought it. The fans, the franchise, even the players, I think, want a new story line. Can he sell the boys a new one? Stars (and they are stars) have to play like stars for us to win. That's the story. Now he just has to make believers of the guys. I hope we pull it out in Nashville tonight. I sense this team begninning to write its story...

In case you haven't noticed, the fans in section 303 are pissed off. They're pissed with the Blues' start, pissed they're getting the shaft from both Dish and FSMW, and now pissed you won't fix the fucking escalator that bucked some fatties about 5 losses ago. Your team's one win at home is a much bigger liability than the investigation into what went wrong on that night. So for God's sake, either rack (notice spelling) up some Ws or fix the fucking escalator!