When I was in middle school and my eldest sister was away at college, I would help myself to her bitchin' collection of concert tees that she left behind in her bedroom... which I had taken over. I got so many compliments from the older kids on my Echo and the Bunnymen shirt. Didn't know who they hell they were, but thought it was cool. Midnight Oil and INXS were faves too. And I loved her Dream of the Blue Turtle tee from Sting's first solo tour.

I'm going on about all this because the big news today is that the Police are reuniting for the Grammys, which take place on February 11. This is a big deal because, as my sis could tell ya all about, they all hated each other when the Police dissolved in 1984. The biggest drama took place between Sting and Stuart Copeland, who probably fought over whose frostilocks looked better.

New AD's job: Make Biondi's plan work

Wish Chris May well. The new St. Louis University athletic director has just taken one of the most challenging jobs in this region.

The SLU athletic department is at the crossroads. There are plenty of good things happening . . . but there are also many challenges remaining.

First, the good news:


* The splendid new Chaifetz Arena will open soon and trumpet a new era for Billiken sports. The athletic department will finally have modern offices and the basketball teams will have an on-campus showplace to play in.


* Rick Majerus is working around the clock to elevate SLU basketball to the Next Level. Progress has come slowly this season, but recruiting has gone well and the program has gained a higher national profile.

Chris Matthews

Matthews is the author of four best-selling books, including American: Beyond Our Grandest Notions (2002), a New York Times best seller. His first book, Hardball (1988) is required reading in many college-level political science courses. Kennedy & Nixon (1996) was named by The Readers Digest “Today's Best Non-fiction" and served as the basis of a documentary on the History Channel. Now, Let me Tell What I Really Think (2001) was another New York Times best-seller.

A graduate of Holy Cross College, Mr. Matthews did graduate work in economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Matthews also worked for two years as a trade development advisor with the U.S. Peace Corps in the southern African nation of Swaziland.