How I Became a Blues Fan

by Chris Gift on Aug 6, 2008 10:23 PM CDT

There I am, the six year old dropping F-bombs about half-way up in the Arena Circle.

By Chris Gift

Like most other little boys of the 1980s, in my youth, I was hooked on indoor soccer. Namely, the St. Louis Steamers.

From Slobo in goal (as an aside, I was shocked to see that Slobo passed away a few weeks ago, that and I was shocked that he was in his fifties. There's a sign that we're all getting old, even us Steamer fans) to Steve Pecher, Carl Rose, and Tony Bellinger on defense. Plus forwards such as Don Ebert, Ricky Davis, Njego Pesa- face it, for most of the people reading this column, I could put Richard Marx's name down as one of the players and most people wouldn't ~~give two shits~~ know if he was a former Steamer or not. I knew, and loved the Steamers, and was a season ticket holder.

My first official sports road trip was to Kemper Arena to see the Steamers play (and lose to) the Kansas City Comets (little did I know how often I'd be making sports road trips in the coming years).

As for hockey? I couldn't have told you the difference between a blue line and A Chorus Line; or Doug Gilmour and convicted killer Gary Gilmore; Wayne Gretzky or Wayne Newton.

When most of the city was having a Fred Knipscheer fit about the Blues leaving for Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, I was worried that Tony Glavin's chronically terrible knees weren't going to make it through another season.

Hell, I thought Hartford was in Canada, and that Canucks had an H in it.

But being curious, and sometimes bored during games, (right, Kelly and Liam Gallagher?), I tried to start to figure out just what in the hell they used the old barn for when the Steamers weren't filling it up on a weekly basis (they averaged 17,107 a game in the 1982-1983 season).

I wondered why the Steamer games were always on Friday nights. As a God-fearing Catholic School Boy, eating the cheese pizza at the Arena on Friday nights during Lent got old.

I wondered why it was always cold in the Arena.I was puzzled by the large mounds of shaved ice outside the garage doors with the funny looking trucks by them.

I didn't know why if the Steamers were kicking an orange ball there were black marks on the end boards.

Then my sister started dating a guy from Canada.

I wasn't even 10, but before I knew it I was quickly saying "eh?" after every fifth word.

He taught me how to skate. He attempted to get me to learn to shoot left.

He helped me transform my basement from the Arena where the Steamers play, to the Arena where the Blues play (we threw away the Nerf soccer ball, and replaced it with a few sticks and plastic pucks). We even installed Plexiglas- once a puck went through the window, and my dad went through the roof.

After seeing my aptitude, or lack there of, for both skating and shooting, he reminded me how much fun the game was to watch too.

Pretty soon the season tickets for the Steamers stopped, and I was infatuated with this new sport I was learning- hocky as I used to spell it habitually.

My buddies at school also seemed to catch the hockey bug at the same time.

Slobo left my thoughts and Rick Wamsley and Greg Millen replaced them. Pecher, Rose, and Bellinger? No thanks, I'd moved on to *cough, cough* stalwarts like Brian Benning, Ric Nattress, and Gaston Gingras. Forwards? Mark Hunter, Bernie Federko, Brian Sutter, the young Rod Brind'Amour, Gilmour…I loved all of them. Even ding-a-lings like Tony Hrkac, Doug Evans, Mark Reeds, and Eddy Beers (boy if Game Time was around back then, would he have been popular) were part of the team I went to sleep thinking about- now it has become…well, I'll keep those thoughts to myself.

I remember seasons where I might go to a game. The chill in the air, the bright white of the Blues home sweaters reflecting off of the even brighter white of the freshly zambonied ice hooked me. So did the sounds of skates cutting into ice, and tape-to-tape passes, plus the oohs an ahhs of the crowd- next time you’re at a game, close your eyes and just listen to how great the game sounds.

The Steamers drifted away into Bolivion, and the Blues (with some kid named Brett Hull- who I used to call Brent) gained more and more prominence in the local media, in my classroom, and more importantly my thoughts.

Now, and not because of the little newspaper thing that we have going, I feel lost if I don't go to a home game.

I've gotten to the point in my life where I realize that sports are nothing more than an escape from reality. I realized that as I pickled my liver the night the Cardinals won the World Series in 2006, only realizing that my hungover ass had to be reffing a soccer game at 8:00 the next morning. That no matter how good or how bad your favorite team is, life goes on, and to not live and die with each win, loss, or overtime loss.

That's all well and good, unless you're talking about the Blues. Much like everyone else that contributes to the website and newspaper, or reads either one, I love the Blues. I've learned that it is okay to live and die with them, if you don't mind losing.

I'm just happy my sister didn’t start dating a Mexican.

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Comments

I think I went to an indoor soccer game once. Or was it arena football? Or roller hockey? You know, one of those sports where you find yourself thinking: “did they just cover the ice, or did they melt and drain it first?” for a large part of the game.

“…the difference between… Doug Gilmour and convicted killer Gary Gilmore…”

After “the incident”, there were a lot of people who didn’t know the difference either (and probably some in Blues mgmt. who would probably rather have had Gary Gilmore on the team.

by Mr. Particle on Aug 7, 2008 11:21 AM CDT reply actions

I went to an Ambush game once, and was highly amused by a ball sailing over the glass and blasting a guy that had just come through the tunnel with a tray full of edible goodies

by Dooks on Aug 7, 2008 2:11 PM CDT reply actions

Every kid in my elementary school wanted to be Slobo.

by Brad Lee on Aug 7, 2008 4:37 PM CDT reply actions

or maybe slobbo the clown.

or was that just me?

by Childhood Trauma on Aug 7, 2008 10:04 PM CDT reply actions

Gents, I have really enjoyed this topic. Good stories from everybody…although I can best relate to Brad. Yea…the Cards were horrid for a LONG LONG TIME after that season. I remember Vince getting traded, and with the people left on the team that season…his trade was like getting my heart ripped out. I stopped caring about baseball that year, but I didn’t start loving the Blues until much later. More to come on that. :)

by Dan on Aug 8, 2008 10:11 PM CDT reply actions

so when the hell does training camp start? I haven’t heard anything about this

by Dooks on Aug 9, 2008 1:30 PM CDT reply actions

Yo Gift, how about the imitable Jeff Cacciatore?!

Great freakin post. I remember rockin the parachute pants (black with grey zippers) with my rad Steamer’s jacket (powder blue). I just was pullin’ trim left and right. Lady Freakin’ Killah.

by Answer Man on Aug 9, 2008 7:52 PM CDT reply actions

We still give my older brother shit about how he reacted on Christmas Morning when “Santa” (he was about 13 or 14 at the time) brought him a powder blue satin Steamers’ jacket.

I thought the Steamers may have been too South City/South County for the Answer Teen.

by Chris Gift on Aug 10, 2008 8:08 AM CDT reply actions

I’m all about reppin’ sweet threads and when I see powder blue satin, I go for it.

by Answer Man on Aug 11, 2008 12:39 PM CDT reply actions

I know it’s a bit of the subject, but is there going to be a FanFest this year?

by JGB on Aug 11, 2008 4:21 PM CDT reply actions

I mean a bit off the subject…

by JGB on Aug 11, 2008 5:36 PM CDT reply actions

JGB, that is actually a really good question especially since we are talking about how we became fans. I am just not sure if they are. I would think there will be something. They should promote training camp.

by Answer Man on Aug 12, 2008 9:16 AM CDT reply actions

I’m waiting for the “Premium” training camp.

by Mr. Particle on Aug 12, 2008 10:52 AM CDT reply actions

“I’m waiting for the "Premium" training camp.”

That’s pretty funny.

I went to the fanfest last year and had a really good time. Hopefully, I will be taking my son if they have it this year.

The blues website had a link about an announcement to be made in July 2008, but that has come and gone with no word…

http://blues.nhl.com/community/fanfest.htm

by JGB on Aug 12, 2008 11:05 AM CDT reply actions

JGB Says: August 12th, 2008 at 10:05 am
The blues website had a link about an announcement to be made in July 2008, but that has come and gone with no word…

Now we’ll just wait to see if the Blues website gets updated pronto. I’m guessing the organ-I-zation watches GT with the same curiosity as a car wreck (but will never admit it). If there is a quick update about Fanfest, I’ll be thinking my suspicions are confirmed.

/ Heard some advert on AM1380 about a limited number of center ice season tix available at $13.80 per game. Unsure if that’s through the station or the Blues directly.
// TMYK
/// No — I don’t work at AM1380

by Milo on Aug 12, 2008 2:33 PM CDT reply actions

"There I am, the six year old dropping F-bombs about half-way up in the Arena Circle.

Gonna hafta start reading the properties behind each of the photos now. This one was hysterical!!!

by Milo on Aug 13, 2008 8:39 PM CDT reply actions

That’s actually a true story, Milo.

Our seats were in section 117, row G (I remember shit like that, but lose my keys on a consistant basis) and right in front of us a priest season tickets too.

Sure enough, Tony Bellinger screwed up one night, and I screamed at the top of my lungs, with Padre right in front of me…

“Stupid fuckin’ Bellinger…”

Funny thing is that I don’t remember him (or anybody else) disagreeing with me.

by Gift on Aug 16, 2008 1:20 PM CDT reply actions

Gift:

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

I, too, have great memories of the MISL Steamers. Most of those memories involve adding “Buffalo Sucks” (during the playoffs) to the end of the, “Dah, da, da, da-dah; Dah, da, da, da-dah; Dah, da, da, da-dah; da-da-da” instrumental thingy in place of “Let’s go Steamers” (I now yell, “Eat my shorts”). A couple of ten-year-olds (Milo and a long deceased grade school pal) can get some mighty funny looks for that in those days (You still win — we didn’t drop any F-bombs near a priest).

/Do you remember when Carl Rose flipped off the crowd?
//Shep Messing and the NY Arrows are still a bunch of wussies!
/// You keys are where you left them. Just look where you had them last.

by Milo on Aug 17, 2008 1:11 AM CDT reply actions