Yes, if you go by the book the Laurie family's sale of the St. Louis Blues to Dave Checketts is a 2006 maneuver. But while its relevance as a business transaction is old news, the sale's impact on the "product" St. Louisans can expect to see on the ice is a current event. (Speaking of current events, it was also nice to see KMOX [1120 AM] reclaim its status as the radio home of the Blues.) The Blues have been a local sports soap opera since their inception, but — most of the time, anyway — until the past couple of seasons they've also been fun to watch. Happily, we're looking forward to '07-'08, and for that we have Mr. Checketts to thank.