With Spring Training right around the corner, here’s some quick hits on a variety of topics involving the St. Louis Cardinals.

Here’s a link to the story at St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Sunday’s Super Bowl was the lowest-scoring one in the event’s 53-year history and struggled in the television ratings, too — especially in Los Angeles, where it had near-record low viewership.

Here’s a link to the story at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

A series of emails obtained and published by Splinter News on Monday appears to show Joe Ricketts, the patriarch of the family that owns the Cubs, sharing and endorsing racist jokes and conspiracy theories.

Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.

ST. LOUIS – Southern Illinois men’s basketball senior guard Armon Fletcher has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, the league announced Monday. Fletcher’s 34 points on Wednesday against Indiana State marked the top scoring game by any MVC player this season.

Fletcher averaged 24 points on 70 percent shooting in leading Southern Illinois to a 2-0 week. He scored 34 points in the win over Indiana State, the most by a Missouri Valley Conference player this season. Fletcher’s 34-point outburst was the most for a Saluki in an MVC game in 23 years, when Troy Hudson dropped 39 on Indiana State in 1996. Fletcher went 11-for-14 from the field and 6-for-8 from the 3-point line in the game. He followed that up with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the win at Bradley.

In MVC games, Fletcher is the league’s fourth-leading scorer at 16 points per game. Is is also averaging 1.6 steals per game, which ranks fourth in the MVC in league play.

Fletcher earned the honor for the first time in his career. He is the third Saluki to earn MVC weekly honors this season; Sean Lloyd Jr. was named MVC Player of the Week on December 10, and Eric McGill was named MVC Newcomer of the Week on November 26.

The Salukis travel to Missouri State on Wednesday, January 6 for a 7 p.m. game. SIU returns home to face Evansville on Saturday, February 9 at 7 p.m. in SIU Arena.

An offensive explosion dominated the regular season and pumped up television ratings. Hopefully, the defensive gem the NFL concluded its 99th season with Sunday night stimulated similar interest.

Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.

The Southern Illinois men’s basketball team hosts Indiana State on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. in SIU Arena for the annual Black Out Cancer game.

Television Info » The game will be televised on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Kansas City, Fox Sports Indiana, and NBC Sports Chicago. Inside the MVC’s four-state footprint (Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Missouri), the game can be streamed on Fox Sports Go. Outside the league’s footprint, the game can be streamed on ESPN3.

Southern Illinois (10-11, 3-5 MVC) vs. Indiana State (11-9, 3-5 MVC) || Wednesday, January 30 || 8 p.m. || Carbondale, Ill. (SIU Arena)

Tickets » SIUSalukis.com/tickets or call 877-SALUKIS
Watch » ESPNU with John Rooney and Kevin Lehman
Listen » Saluki Sports Network with Mike Reis and Mike Trude (Stream available through TuneIn)
Stats » SIUSalukis.com/MBB/LiveStats
Game Notes » Southern Illinois (PDF)
Coach Hinson Press Conference » Watch on YouTube

THE RUNDOWN

Southern Illinois hosts Indiana State on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. in a game that will be televised on the MVC TV Network.
The game is the annual Black Out Cancer game, where fans bid for the right to choose the name on the back of the jersey, honoring a loved one battling cancer. All proceeds from the jerseys go to Southern Illinois Healthcare’s new comprehensive cancer treatment center right here in southern Illinois.
Salukis in the MVC individual rankings (all games)…
1st – Kavion Pippen in blocks (1.76)
1st – Eric McGill in steals (1.68)
2nd – Aaron Cook in minutes (686)
3rd – Aaron Cook in assists (3.7)
4th – Eric McGill in double-doubles (3)
Salukis in the MVC team rankings (all games)…
1st in blocks (4.2)
2nd in FG% defense (.423)
2nd in offensive rebounding (9.48)
2nd in fewest fouls (15.1)
2nd in steals (6.8)
2nd in 3-point FG% (.374)

GAME PREVIEW

Southern Illinois hosts Indiana State on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. CT in SIU Arena.
The game is the annual Black Out Cancer game, where fans bid for the right to choose the name on the back of the jersey, honoring a loved one battling cancer. All proceeds from the jerseys go to Southern Illinois Healthcare’s new comprehensive cancer treatment center right here in southern Illinois. This year, the jerseys raised $6,343.39.
Southern Illinois leads the all-time series, 86-47. SIU has won six-straight games in the series with Indiana State. The last five of those wins have been decided by seven points or less.
Indiana State has shot fewer 3-pointers than all but one team in the nation, but the Sycamores lead the MVC in 3-point field goal percentage (.375). SIU is 7th in the MVC in 3-pointers and 2nd in percentage (.374).
The Sycamores are led by Jordan Barnes (16.5 ppg) and Tyreke Key (16.2 ppg). Key is shooting 55 percent from the field and 51 percent from the 3-point line.

MILESTONE MOMENTS

SIU’s veteran Salukis have hit milestones this year…
Armon Fletcher scored his 1,000th career point earlier this year at SIU Edwardsville. Edwardsville is Fletcher’s hometown.
Fletcher, Aaron Cook, and Sean Lloyd Jr. have all reached 100 career steals this year.
Thik Bol became the sixth player in program history with 100 career blocked shots.
Two players who aren’t on the milestone list yet are MVC leaders in those categories: Eric McGill in steals (1.68) and Kavion Pippen in blocks (1.76)

Rounding up the hot topics from this week’s chat with Hall of Fame baseball writer Rick Hummel, aka “Commish.”

Here’s a link to the story at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

SESSER — Just 26 seconds into the game, Sesser-Valier-Waltonville’s Jaice McCowen stepped up and drained a 3-pointer. That was a harbinger of things to come.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

CHICAGO, Ill. – Loyola went on a 35-7 run to close the first half and run away from Southern Illinois, 75-50, on Sunday afternoon at Gentile Arena.

Marcus Bartley hit a 3-pointers to give SIU a 12-7 lead eight minutes into the game. After that, the Salukis went cold, going 2-for-14 with four turnovers the rest of the half. Loyola, on the other hand, couldn’t miss, and scored 35 points in the last 12 minutes of the half.

“We let our offense dictate our defense,” SIU head coach Barry Hinson said. “That’s happened several times to us this year, and we have to get out of that mode. We started feeling sorry for ourselves. Everyone tried to go win the game on their own, and we were a 1-on-1 dribble offense. We don’t do that. Once we got out of character offensively, it really affected us.”

A game removed from a 21-point comeback win against UNI, SIU (10-11, 3-5 MVC) came out after halftime with a similar edge, scoring 18 points in the half’s opening seven minutes. Unlike the UNI game, in which Southern held UNI scoreless for the first eight minutes of that half, Loyola (13-8, 6-2 MVC) was already rolling offensively and was able to keep a comfortable margin. SIU never got closer than 17 points.

Loyola center Cameron Krutwig dominated the game, scoring 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Loyola outscored SIU 40-to-10 in the paint and went 18-for-25 on layups and dunks, compared to SIU’s 4-for-12 mark on those shots.

“He was the best player in the game tonight,” Hinson said. “Krutwig was the reason this game took place the was it did.”

SIU committed 19 turnovers, leading to 17 Loyola points, and was outrebounded by seven in the loss. Loyola shot 59.6 percent from the field, the highest mark of any opponent against the Salukis this season. The Ramblers, coming off a Final Four berth last season, moved into sole possession of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference race.

“On the road, you can’t turn it over, you have to play great defense, and you have to rebound the basketball. We went 0-for-3 in those tonight,” Hinson said.

Sean Lloyd Jr. (11 points) and Armon Fletcher (12 points) led SIU.

The Salukis return to SIU Arena for an 8 p.m. game against Indiana State on Wednesday for the annual Black Out Cancer game.

“This breaks my heart ot say this, but we’re a one-bid league,” Hinson said. “So it doesn’t matter what happens in the regular season, you have to find yourself playing great in February and win three games in a row (at Arch Madness).”

Yadier Molina was on a boat near Jupiter, Fla., when he got the news — Paul Goldschmidt was now a St. Louis Cardinal.

Here’s a link to the column at the Southern Illinoisan.