European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 9, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Commentary Oates the blues if you were asked to name the three most popular hockey players in the National hockey league today chances Are Adam Oates be one of a a a a a a a a. A los Angeles Kings Tenter Wayne Gretzky is a Given As name no. 1. St. Louis blues scoring machine Brett Hull would probably be name no. 2. Might As Well toss in Pittsburgh a Mario Lemieux into the hat but Adam Oates come on. A Oates a blues Center and the Shadow behind Hull is a cog in the blues Premier offensive machine and one of the hottest players in the game this year. Yet outside of St. Louis Oates remains hulls Shadow. A every team needs a play maker like an Adam Oates a said Curtis Joseph one of two St. Louis goal tenders after the blues knocked off the Toronto Maple Leafs on feb. 19 and clinched a playoff spot this is Oates the play maker 70 assists through saturdays games. Hull has 70 goals this season und Oates has had a stick in on 32 of them. In St. Louis they re known As the Rock duo Hull in Oates. A a. A a a. V. .�., but before you can recite the chorus to a did it in a minute a take a second and in saturday night live Alum Jon Lovitz swords a get to know me a the nil got to know him quickly. His Impact on the league came almost immediately when in his first nil game ast Detroit red Wing he notched his first Point with a goal in route to a nine goal 11-assist performance in his 38-game 1985 season. Oates Rode a 15-game Point Streak through much of last month. A 6-2 loss to Chicago snapped both Oates Point Streak and hulls l 1-game scoring Jaunt. It was Oates who filled hulls spot in this years nil All Star game when Hull was injured. Rewind Back to june 15,1989, when blues pm Ron Caron made another Caron signature one sided Deal. He sent a longtime St. Louis favorite Bernie Federko to Detroit along with Tony Mckegney for Oates. Federko is now a local hockey analyst in St. Louis while Mckegney is floating around the league. The Trade was booed in the hockey crazy Missouri town. Today its ballyhooed. And with Good reason St. Louis ans got to know the soft spoken Oates to the tune of a 102-Point 1989-90 season. His 79 assists set a team record. Only Gretzky and league map Mark Messier of Edmonton had More assists last season. Rod Brindz amour fills out the Hull in Oates line. But extracting a set of quotation Marks from Oates is much like finding a ticket to a blues game a difficult if not impossible. A playing with Hullie really helps a the 5-11, 189-Rob Staggenborg Cago in the Norris division finals in a fiercely fought seven game series. Hull shined with 13 goals and Oates did the Shadow bit with 12 assists. Pound Oates said after the playoff clinching win Over Toronto. A the ice time has been great. Blues coach Brian Sutter has been playing us on every Power play Opportunity in be definitely been playing a lot More r Hull last years scoring Champion and the son of nil great Bobby Hull gives Oates his just credit. It is Oates who helped account for 32 of Brett a nets. A a it a something Between us a Hull said of h7s Road trip Roommate a its whether the blues can overtake the Pesky Black Hawks remains to be seen. In the nil the playoffs Are essentially a joke. Only five of the 21 clubs done to make the playoffs. The first round pits the top Cehe Ion against the lower Echelon. Round 2 offers a Little better Competition while the later rounds offer the Best hockey. The Edmonton oilers won the Stanley cup last year but were waxed by the blues 10-1 in the Epson cup in Disseldorf. Germany in a preseason Ger Man american Canadian exhibition tournament. More than just getting on the ice and playing. We know each other. Its great to have a Guy on the ice next to you that Sas qualified As Adam. A the Means the world to More than that Oates Means the world to blues fans. Through March 1, the blues were 24-6-4 when the Weston on to Rio a t i be re Cord e d Adam Oates an assist. Before the Toronto game Oates had a 1.92 Points per game Pace which was second to Only Gretzky when projected Over an 80-game season Oates was on Pace to record 154 Points this season. After thursdays 5-5 tie at Boston St Louis was the Best team in the league 90 Points with a 40-1810 record Norris division rival Chicago 40-22-6 and smythe division Leader los Angeles 39-21-8 were the second Best teams 86 Points. A the Stanley cup is in sight once again for Hull in Oates but the blues penchant Lor choking in the playoffs haunts the team. A since the blues entered the league As an expansion franchise in 1967, the club has missed postseason play Only three times 1974, �?T78 and �?T79 and have made it to the Stanley cup finals three times 1968, �?T69 and 70 but have never won it. The blues made it to the 1986 Stanley cup semifinals losing to Calgary in a seven game series. Last season St. Louis lost to its Archac Macsis Chi after the Toronto win Hull walked out of the Shower room a Towel his Only Protection from the quote hungry reporters who were As heavily armed As a can news Crew in Kuwait. Cameras pencils and notebooks blocked hulls Way. The third player in nil history to record two consecutive 70-goal seasons was trapped. On the other Side of the room Oates freely pulled on his Black Slacks and watched his mate squint from the camera Light blasting in his face. Oates Shook his head. A Diamond �?o21�?� Hung loosely around Oates neck the diamonds flaring As the Light danced upon them. The diamonds Are about the flashiest thing on Oates. A when you talk to Adam Quot St. Louis Post dispatch writer Jeff Gordon said after Oates pulled on a Check ered Black and White Blazer in front of his stall a a you be got to remember he a a . He does t say Oates strutted to the exit but stopped. He glanced at Hull who was doing his Best to get dressed and away from the hungry mob. Hull glanced Back squinting of that Light. Brett the Star was left to Deal with the Media and the questioning. Adam the Shadow got to leave Early an Auto graph seeker his Only obstacle. As Oates scribbled his signature the door closed behind him leaving his mate to fend for himself. Oates handed the youngster the paper and walked away a free Man. Adam Oates smiled broadly. He seemed comfortable with the arrangement. The stars and strip former baseball Star Cool papa Bell Dies St. Louis a Jqmes a Cool papa Bell a Hall of Famer who was once considered the fastest player in the negro leagues died thursday night. He was 89. Bell died in St. Louis University Hospital after a Brief illness Hospital officials said. Bell slowed in his later years and Blind in one Eye because of glaucoma at the time of his death was rumoured to be the highest paid player in the negro leagues with a top salary of $90 a month. Barnstorming across the country he played two and sometimes three times a Day for 29 summer seasons and 21 Winter seasons. He batted .407 in 1946, his final season. But he was denied Access to the major leagues retiring a year before Jackie Robinson became the first Black player in this Century. Bell was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. His plaque reads a combined Speed daring and batting skill to rank among Best players in negro leagues contemporaries rated him fastest Man on base paths.�?�. After his baseball career was Over for 21 years he was a custodian and night watchman. But his North St. Louis address a 3034 Cool papa Bell ave. A was a constant reminder that he was somebody special. A it was Good times a Bell said of his career. Quot i just played for the love of the game. I did no to intend to play that Long it just happened a Bell was 16.when his career began in 1919, the year of the infamous Black sox scandal which rocked the major leagues. He was a left handed hitting and throwing Center fielder for the Washington Homestead Grays St. Louis stars Chicago american giants Pittsburgh Crawford and Kansas City monarchs. It of a a t la ref to <1 it it /. V v Lucason runs past Christie Johnson Seville Spain apr Andre Cason of the United states stepped into the Ben Johnson Linford Christie feud and won the Gold medal in the menus 60 meters at the world indoor track and Field championships Friday. The american was clocked in 6.54 seconds edging Christie at the tape. The British sprinter was timed in 6.55. Choli Imoh of Nigeria was third in 6.60 and Johnson fourth in 6.61. Cason took a commanding Lead Midway through the world indoor track a american Andre Cason wins 60 meters in 6.54 seconds. Final and he stayed ahead despite Christie a Strong comeback in the final strides. Cason had the fastest times in the heats and Sergeyeva of the soviet Union beat heavy favorite Marlene Ottey of Jamaica to win the women a 60 meters in 7.02 seconds. The soviet sprinter ended Ottey a string of wins at 73 Over the past year and a half. Ottey was timed in 7.08 and Liliana Allen of Cuba was third in 7.12. Sergeyeva a time equated the third fastest Ever for the distance. Verner Guenthoer of Switzerland won the third Gold medal of the Day by taking the menus shot put with a toss of 69 feet 5 Viz inches. Johnson Vas looking at his Seville performance Lor revenge Over critics who opposed his comeback following his disgrace at the 19k8 olympics where he tested positive for steroids. Two of Johnson a most prominent competitors a american Carl Lewis and Christie a have criticized his comeback and said it should have been stopped
