In this episode of the St. Louis Sportists Podcast, hosts Joe, Doug, Keith and Ron discuss the surge, then faceplant by the St. Louis Cardinals, who drew to within 3 games of the wild card only to stumble against the Rockies (again).

Milwaukee can't be stopped which obviously means ... free burgers! The Astros bring home an old friend and it's almost like he knows what pitch is coming. Nine teams have had baseball's best record, but none for more than two weeks. Is that a good thing?

The Ryder Cup will be at Bethpage Black, home of one of the best signs in sports. Athletic Directors are out and CEOs are in for college sports. The Mizzou QB situation still lacks clarity and Shedeur Sanders tweaks an oblique.

CITY plays their best game of the year and heads for their next matchup against Chicago - in an industrial park (really). All of this and Joe's Last Call for the ages as he takes on ESPN and their wall-to-wall coverage of the Little League World Series on this week's episode of The St. Louis Sportists podcast.

The St. Louis Sportists are brought to you by 1st Coast Steel Buildings and The Local House Bistro.

Doug, Keith and Ron take on subjects ranging from the malaise of the St. Louis Cardinals to the Wing-T offense in this week's episode. The Cardinals putter along at .500 while continuing to give Miles Mikolas starting assignments. The Milwaukee Brewers seem to have cracked the code for the NL Central and the MLB game at Bristol is compared to the Fyre Festival.

The NFL has entered into an agreement with ESPN - what does it all mean? Shedeur Sanders may not make it in the NFL, but he can sure sell some jerseys. Trackman comes to the NFL and Jerry Jones "has always worked for himself."

The Mizzou quarterback battle seems to be near a stalemate raising the question - if you have two quarterbacks, do you have any? LSU may get creative when utilizing the redshirt rule and Dabbo Swinney stays largely out of the portal.

Is it time to apply the Glengarry Glenross strategy to St. Louis City? Which defender does Keith think may shower only once a week? Which now former St. Louis City player did Ron compare to a Ming vase?

It's all here plus Marv Levy, Buck Belue and Zenon Andrusyshyn. Have a drink and wink while you join us for Episode 40 of The St. Louis Sportists podcast.

Doug, Tom, Keith and Ron put technology to the test to find out why MLB is playing a baseball game at a racetrack this weekend.

The major focus this week is on the trade deadline in baseball. Did the Cardinals do enough? What kind of roster logjams do the Cardinals have to contend with now and in the future and how will the looming potential work stoppage impact these decisions? What teams excelled and which made questionable decisions at the trade deadline?

Sophie Cunningham is becoming Caitlin Clark's Marty McSorely (it will make sense, we promise). Skip Bayless has officially lost his mind with his recent comments regarding Scottie Scheffler. Pre-season football is underway in the NFL and we'll see quarterbacks in polos and khakis.

All of this plus high school NIL and obscure references to Don Strock and Damon Bailey on this week's episode of The St. Louis Sportists podcast.

The St. Louis Sportists podcast is brought to you by 1st Coast Steel Buildings and The Local House Bistro.

Join The Sportists for Christmas in July. Well, not really. But we do need to see Matt Holliday and his newly-wealthy family celebrate the season this winter.

Joe, Keith, Tom and Ron dive into the Cardinals' Rocky Mountain Low. Or was it rock bottom in the Rockies? Which players are on the block? And what does this do for Oli Marmol's job security?

Friend-of-the-Podcast Khaled Abdallah joins from Sacramento to bring us up-to-date on the craziness with the Athletics. How is the first season going in a minor-league stadium, and what's next for the franchise?

NCAA football is just around the corner and predictions for Mizzou and Illinois are quite different. Is optimism or dread misplaced?

All of this plus Christmas with the Tkachuk's. Join us as we exclaim, "That's a BALK!"

The St. Louis Sportists are brought to you by 1st Coast Steel Buildings and The Local House Bistro

Joe, Doug, Keith and Ron review the first half of the Cardinals' season. While the record and several players are pleasant surprises, questions remain.

The group provides updates on online gaming and sports betting, NCAA violations involving Memphis basketball, and the implications of "spot fixing" in sports. The conversation shifts to insights from the MLB draft and highlights from the All-Star Game, including innovations like microphone usage for pitchers and the "swing off" to decide the game.

There's nothing like SEC Media Days, but we do miss the Head Ball Coach. The MLB draft complicates the future of Missouri football with Sam Horn.

Greg Sankey goes Vito Corleone in the playoff expansion discussions, and Doug provides a preview of the Open Championship while recalling the time he hit a ball out of a pot bunker.

CITY won a game! MLB players will participate in the Olympics, but the schedule could be ... difficult. Never fear - Rob Manfred is on it!

The St. Louis Sportists are brought to you by 1st Coast Steel Buildings and The Local House Bistro.

Ron has a wide-ranging conversation with St. Louis broadcasting legend Zip Rzeppa. They cover Zip's days at Boston University on the basketball court and in the classroom - with two notable classmates - one with whom he would work with later in life on the air in Boston.

They discuss the Zippo Awards, one of the most legendary recurring segments in St. Louis broadcast history. Where did Zip get the idea?

The two discuss Zip's stops before St. Louis in Boston and Cincinnati, where he became a recording star (really!). And Zip reflects on a prophetic statement delivered to him in New York that was spot on.

Then, it's on to St. Louis and a fantastic ride at two stations. They discuss his relationship with Whitey Herzog and how a simple misunderstanding led to ... silence only to be resolved at a key moment.

At the height of his popularity in 1995, Zip made the decision to leave broadcasting. He tells why, and what kept him very busy in the following years.

And, we find out what Zip is up to today including his amazing work with Mater Media, various charities, and the Catholic Church. In true Sportists fashion, they also discuss the current state of the Cardinals and Zip tackles The Sportists Questions.

The St. Louis Sportists podcast is brought to you by 1st Coast Steel Buildings and The Local House Bistro.

Joe, Doug and Ron wonder what to make of a Cardinal team that can sweep Cleveland and then be held scoreless over three games in Pittsburgh. A weekend series with the Cubs looms and Miles Mikolas will get the start on Friday, hoping for "soft contact." Doug and Joe share their memories of Dave Parker including a memorable incident with an usher at Busch Stadium.

Missouri State moves to Conference USA and has a surprisingly high win total for their over-under. Is a bowl game actually possible for the Bears? Texas State and SMU join conferences that mean the Pacific and Atlantic are now closer than ever. LSU considers on-uniform advertising for all sports - will the NASCAR look follow? A Packer quarterback gets married, and a mud hut is not involved.

All of this plus literary suggestions, updates on the St. Louis Blues and St. Louis CITY SC and players we would like to have miked-up for the Open Championship. Find out why there were frantic moments for Guatemala and prepare yourself for a Travis and Tay season preview on this all-Ava edition of the St. Louis Sportists Podcast.

The St. Louis Sportist Podcast is brought to you by 1st Coast Steel Buildings and The Local House Bistro.

Ron Cook and Joe Spurlin discuss a variety of sports topics, including updates on Mizzou and Illinois scheduling, the Tampa Bay Rays' playoff stadium concerns, and a mid-season review of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cards have shown resilience with 20 comeback wins - is a West County resident's late game superstition playing a role?

They also delve into trade deadline strategies for the Cardinals, discuss LSU's College World Series victory, and check in with Steve Spurrier for some thoughts on the next generation of Manning quarterbacks and Texas football.

When is a stadium deadline not a deadline? Maybe when it can be extended indefinitely, as is the case in Kansas City. Jim Pendergrass receives more accolades and St. Louis CITY still has a long road ahead. Aaron Rodgers is "pretty sure" this is his final season and we're just as confident you'll enjoy this episode of The St. Louis Sportists podcast.

The St. Louis Sportists are brought to you by 1st Coast Steel Buildings and The Local House Bistro.