Kansas City Wizards midfielder Preki and goalieTony Meola have won a combined three Major League Soccer MVP’s, but the two veterans may very well play with other teams in 2005. According to the Kansas City Star, both will be left unprotected in Friday’s MLS expansion draft. Preki, who won the second MVP of his career last year, broke his leg in February and missed the season. Meola, who won the MVP during the Wizards MLS Cup run in 2000, was also injured and missed a great deal of the season, including their run in the playoffs in 2004, which led to a 3-2 loss to D.C. United in the MLS Cup last weekend. Preki is 41, Meola is 35.

Reports of Mike Martz’ interest in being the next head coach of the Dolphins are exaggerated, if not false. Martz refuted a story in the Miami Herald yesterday, saying he had no desire to go anywhere. Rams president John Shaw told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that there is “zero” chance that Martz has talked to the Dolphins about the possibility….Rams lineman Scott Tercero will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury that will require surgery. Chris Dishman will also miss this week’s game against Buffalo with a knee injury, which will move Tom Nutten into the starting role at left guard.

Only a quarter-century passed after statehood before Missourians began to get restless about their state constitution. Some parts of that first state charter were no good from the beginning; others became obsolete with the passage of time. When a consstitutional convention was finally called, the sides were drawn: the frontier against the older, more thickly settled parts of the state. The same rivalry exists today as urban versus rural. Many of the problems which confronted the drafters of that constitution are matters yet to be satisfactorily overcome.