And The Winner of The insideSTL.com Wrigley Field Weekend Is...

Stephen Sondermann...better known as "itsvon" on the message board.

25 names of the 8,000 in our database were selected as finalists for the Grand Prize given away last night at the insideSTL.com Happy Hour at F15teen. Of the 25 originally selected, 4 emailed me to say they wouldn't be able to attend to claim their prize if their name was drawn. So, we picked 4 replacement names. At around 4:30, 2 more cancelled. So, I went to the message board and said the first two people who email me qualify for the final 25.

Good thing that happened...because only 1 person of the original 25 showed up. The two message board posters showed, meaning each person had a 1 in 3 chance of winning the roundtrip airfare to Chicago, 2 nights hotel, and 2 tickets to the Friday and Saturday Cardinals-Cubs games on August 8th and 9th.

"itsvon" claimed the prize as his name was drawn out of the hat, and he celebrated by bringing it with a David Lee Roth leg kick.

Enjoy the trip to Chicago, itsvon.

The Next Big Prize From insideSTL.com

insideSTL.com will be giving away at least 4 sets of lower bowl seats to the Missouri-Illinois game August 30th at the Edward Jones Dome.

We'll begin registering people for those tickets Monday. All you'll need to do is text "insideSTL" to the number given on Monday, and you'll be registered to win prime seats to the biggest college football game played in St. Louis in years...perhaps ever.

More details to come on Monday...

Two New Sections On insideSTL.com For The College Football Season: STL Missouri Tigers And STL Fighting Illini

This website will always be a place where every male and female creep in town can feel welcome to read random columns on local crap, look at pics of hot younger and older local women, and post insulting passive-aggressive comments about strangers to make one's self feel better about his or her lot in life...at least as long as I own insideSTL.com it will be.

But, I do want the site to also become a source of information and informed opinion about our local sports teams. That's why we brought Howard Balzer on board to cover the 2008 Rams and the NFL. And, that's why, today, I'm happy to announce that we have hired a writer based in Columbia to cover the Missouri Tigers, and a writer based in Champaign to cover the Fighting Illini.

My University of Missouri Journalism School classmate and PowerMizzou.com writer Gabe De Armond will be writing daily covering the 2008 Missouri Tigers football season.

"The Colonel," as we called him at J-School, will write nearly everyday---including weekends---and give St. Louis-area Missouri fans updates and opinions on the top 10-ranked Tigers directly from practices and games in Columbia.

He will begin writing on August 4th.

Also beginning on August 4th will be the STL Fighting Illini section, led by the writing of Brad Sturdy, who we've hired to cover the Fighting Illini this season. Brad has covered Illinois football and basketball for Rivals.com, and we're pleased to have him on board to give St. Louis-area Illini fans news and opinions on their team.

Brad began writing for OrangeBlueNews.com three years ago, and he's plugged into the goings-on with Illinois football and basketball, just like Gabe is with Missouri.

I'm really looking forward to the new sections covering area football this season. It'll be strong to have Gabe and Brad giving the views of each team leading up to the showdown at the Dome on August 30th. They'll be candid with their reports and columns...which is what I want and what I think readers want.

And, for Rams' fans, Howard Balzer will begin his columns on Monday, and you can already interact with Howard in his section of the message board, titled "H-Ball."

What A Story...

So I'm reading my email yesterday, and a gentleman sends me an amusing email about douchebags...which I thoroughly enjoy...seeing as a swarm of 30K Millionaires have been *allegedly* taking over the city.

I write back thanking him for the email, and he then emails me the following:

I thought you'd like that Tim.  You and I share that 'sophisticated' and 'refined' sense of humor.  I've got to say Tim, I listen to you guys every morning on my way home from Cardinal Glennon where my 5 year old son Reece is recovering from a brain injury he suffered when we were struck on our way home from the Fox Theater on May 31st.

My wife does the day shift, and I take the night shift and we pass on the highway as she heads to the hospital from our home in Belleville.  Listening to you guys in the morning gives us both a much welcomed excuse to laugh and put our sorrow on the backburner if only briefly.  Thank you for the work you guys do and please keep it up.

Here's a link to Reece's webpage and if you get a chance to read it, there is a really neat story about our experience with Bob Costas that I think should be related to everyone in the St. Louis area who may not be aware that we're blessed to have folks like him represent our city. 

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/reece

Thanks,

Rick Delashmit
Belleville, IL

So, I checked out the Bob Costas story he was referring to, and here's how it goes:

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2008 09:49 AM, CDT I wanted to take a moment to relate a story about one of the most well known gentleman in the St. Louis area. Many of you have probably seen the photo of when Bob Costas came to visit Reece on his 5th birthday on July 3rd. Jen and I were blown away that he would take time out his whirlwind schedule with the Olympics fast approaching to wish Reece well on his birthday! Suffice it to say, Mr. Costas goes out of his way to support the great work that goes on everyday at Cardinal Glennon, but what he did next illustrates why St. Louis is so lucky to have figures like him in our community.

Bob's son, Keith, volunteers at the hospital and Jen is so impressed with him that he is the ONLY volunteer she'll allow Reece to be transported down to rehab by without her supervision. A few days ago Keith mentioned to Jen that his dad wanted our phone number so that he could stay in touch and keep up to date on Reece's progress. Needless to say, Jen was touched and gave Keith her cell phone number and instructed him that his dad could call anytime for updates.

Yesterday, just as he was getting ready to board a flight to China for a month of marathon broadcasts covering the Olympics, Mr. Costas called Jen and spent about 10 minutes inquiring about Reece's progress. Jen said he was genuinely excited when she told him that indeed there was marked improvement from the last time Bob saw him on July 3rd.

Mr. Costas certainly doesn't need our endorsement as his reputation is sterling in our community, but I just wanted to relay this story as an example of the way friends, family, and strangers alike have rallied around our family at a time when we need it most.

Jen and I are touched and overwhelmed by the prayers and words of encouragement we've received from friends, family and even folks we've never met. Together we're going to make the mantra we've got hanging on Reece's wall come true. It reads...

'Where there is hope there can be faith. Where there is faith, miracles can occur.'

Log-in to post your comments below, or you can email me at tmckernan@insidestl.com.