T.J. Oshie and Brad Boyes both scored shootout goals to give the Blues a 2-1 win over the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum.  Patrik Berglund's power-play goal in the second period tied the game at one for St. Louis, which has won six of its last seven games.  Blues net-minder Chris Mason stopped 29-of-30 shots through overtime.

Joe Mather's RBI double in the ninth inning tied the game and Shane Robinson's two-run double put the Cardinals ahead in a 5-3 win over the Marlins 5-3 in Jupiter.  The Cards scored all their runs in the top of the ninth.  Starter Kyle Lohse allowed two hits and struck out two over four innings.  Denny’s Reyes was the winner, allowing one run over an inning-and-a-third of relief. Today, the Cards will host the Red Sox at Roger Dean Stadium.  Rich Hill and Kyle McClellan, each contender’s for the fifth spot in the Cardinals’ rotation, will both pitch today.

Rams General Manager Billy Devaney and head coach Steve Spagnuolo continued their evaluation of draft talent with a Pro Day vistit to Nebraska defensive star Ndamukong Suh on Thursday.  The duo traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska to scrutinize the defensive tackle up close.  Devaney and Spags already got a look at Suh's on-field abilities at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, so this visit was as much about his off-field personality as anything as the Rams look to find the right fit for the top pick in next month's draft.  The Rams already made a Pro Day visit to Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and still have visits scheduled with Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford and Notre Dame signal-caller Jimmy Clausen.  The draft begins April 22nd.

It's conference tournament time for the Saint Louis Billikens.  The Bills play Rhode Island in their A-10 Tourney opener this afternoon in Atlantic City.  SLU received a first-round bye as the fourth seed in the conference, finishing 11-and-5 in the Atlantic 10.  The fifth-seeded Rams had to win a first-round contest over number-12 St. Joseph's on Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals.  If the Billikens win this afternoon, they would likely face top-seeded Temple in Saturday's semifinals.  Temple takes on number-eight St. Bonaventure in the tournament's first game today.

Illinois goes up against Wisconsin today in the second round of the Big Ten men's basketball tournament in Indianapolis. The Illini lost to the Badgers 72-57 in this past Sunday's regular-season finale at Assembly Hall.  Illinois finished as the conference's fifth seed at 10-and-8, while the Badgers are seeded fourth with a 13-and-5 mark.  Both teams earned first-round byes.  Today's winner will play Saturday against the winner of the Ohio State/Michigan game.

Cardinal’s shortstop Brendan Ryan now has a target date for his first Grapefruit League action as he continues to recover from off-season surgery on his right wrist.  Ryan expects to be ready to play on March 20th when the Redbirds host the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium.  Barring a setback, a March 20th spring debut would give Ryan more than two full weeks before the start of the regular season April 5th at Cincinnati.  Ryan even suggested he could play defensively before March 20th.  Manager Tony La Russa remains guarded about Ryan's projected return.

The Rams are mourning the loss of Pro Football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen, who passed away at the age of 69.  Olsen was diagnosed with mesothelioma last year and had undergone several chemotherapy treatments.  Olsen played for the Rams while they were still in Los Angeles from 1962-76 and was a member of the team's famed "Fearsome Foursome" defensive line along with Deacon Jones, Rosey Grier and Lamar Lundy.  His number-74 is retired by the Rams.  He was a 14-time Pro Bowler and was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.  After his playing career, Olsen became a broadcaster for NBC's AFC television coverage.  He stayed with TV and went on to star in both "Little House on the Prairie" and "Father Murphy."  Merlin Olsen died yesterday at the age of 69.