Happy Wednesday,
Post-Dispatch sports columnist Ben Frederickson here. Just a quick note to alert you to a change in the formatting of my weekly newsletter. I'm shifting away from the weekly Tuesday online chats, so re-running the greatest hits from that chat in this newsletter is no longer an option. I still hope to answer any questions readers have for me. I'll do that here in this newsletter in mailbag style as they come in, and will also have more freedom and flexibility to bounce around to other topics and ideas. This week's question will be answered below. Thanks, and please don't be shy about sending in any questions or comments you want to see tackled. Have a great rest of your week!Â
Got a question? Email me here (bfrederickson@post-dispatch.com) or find me on X (formerly known as Twitter) at and hashtag your question with #BF5.
People are also reading…
It's always interesting who reaches out when something happens at Mizzou.
This week I head from multiple former MU coaches who were inquiring about the departure of athletics director Desiree Reed-Francois to Arizona.
No one was surprised to hear it boiled down to internal friction between the AD and the UM system board of curators.
When former AD Mack Rhoades left for Baylor, he was questioned by many about the move. His response at the time, to those who knew him best, was that he felt he could have a better chance of getting Baylor up off the floor after a devastating sexual assault scandal than he could getting everybody on the same page at Mizzou.
Curators change, so that's not a knock against this current group, but it speaks to all of the people who have to be working together in the same direction to make real lasting progress at Mizzou, or there will continue to be churn. We'll see if the next candidate can accomplish the task and weather the storm until they do. But hey, let's not pretend like Mizzou is not an attractive job. SEC money is big money. The SEC and the Big Ten are where ADs want to be. The football program is winning, should be good again next year, and the basketball coach has a top-three class coming in as freshmen. The budget is in good shape. Name, image and likeness momentum is real and improving. People will want this gig.
Here's my column on Reed-Francois leaving and the signs that hinted at the friction. Here's a hot board of potential candidates, from Eli Hoff, who has done an outstanding job on the Mizzou beat. Here are three big questions for Mizzou as the search for a new AD begins. And here's a new episode of the Eye On The Tigers Podcast that breaks down the breakup.
Fresh this morning on the site are my takes on City SC's thrilling opener and Dennis Gates going unplugged at his post-game presser Tuesday night.
Good news! We have a new Post-Dispatch Trivia Night scheduled after bad weather postponed the previous one. It's April 5. Â I'll be presenting the sports questions once again. We have a good time. Hope to see you there.
Got a question or comment for me? Let me know and I'll answer it here.
This week's spotlight goes to . . . Charles, via email.
Q: Recently there was an article in the paper that the team only wanted players who wanted to play in St Louis. Has Jordan Montgomery indicated a distaste for signing here?
A: Yes and no. Montgomery wasn't pushing the idea of an extension before the Cardinals traded him at the trade-deadline. It's easy to see why. He knew the team was trending toward selling rental players because it was not going to make the postseason, and he knew he was approaching his first big bite at the free-agent apple. He did get traded to a contender. He did pitch well for the Rangers in the postseason. He did both improve his value and also won a World Series championship. He made the right call. Montgomery's agent, Scott Boras (perhaps you've heard of him) was asked at winter meetings if Montgomery was closed off to the idea of returning to the Cardinals and he said that's not the case. Boras said he talked with Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak at the GM meetings that preceded winter meetings and made it known Montgomery would entertain free-agent offers from the Cardinals. But the industry perception is very much that Montgomery wants to go back to the Rangers if there's an avenue to do so at a price he (and Boras) prefer. The Cardinals don't seem interested in adding to their rotation at this point, though they have not closed any door officially. It would be great if they threw a curveball if prices dropped on Montgomery, but Boras is notorious for having his clients wait and wait before a desperate team pays big. Both Montgomery and Blake Snell are hoping they become new examples of that Boras play working.