Illinois high school investigated for appearance by NFL's Colt McCoy | Fox News

Illinois high school investigated for appearance by NFL's Colt McCoy | Fox News

A group of Illinois high school football players were thrilled when NFL quarterback Colt McCoy dropped by to speak about his faith and toss the pigskin around with them, but the agency that oversees prep sports in the state is considering throwing a flag.

Ken Leonard, athletic director and football coach at Sacred Heart-Griffin in Springfield, said McCoy, the starting signal caller for the Cleveland Browns, visited the school on March 13 while in town for the annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet. While at the school, McCoy "threw the ball around a little bit" to several students, including football player Malik Turner, prompting a complaint to the Illinois High School Association about whether the workout represented an illegal, off-season practice for the Cyclones.

Is it just me, or does this seem a little petty?

White Sox take the AL Central

Well, thanks to the two games the Royals won in their final series with the Twins, the AL Central had to be decided in a playoff game last night between the White Sox and the Twins. I watched the first few innings before I turned my attention to other things. By that point it was obvious that it was a pitchers and defense game.

The Royals ended up being a key factor in the AL West with their excellent performance during September -- almost good enough to forget the rather poor showing in May, June, July, and August.

And they weren't at the bottom of the heap....

Royals End the Season With Dignity

Well, the 2008 baseball season is over for the Royals. They won their last series 2-1 and ended the season with a respectable .680 percentage for the month of September. They spoiled the division-leading Minnesota Twins' plans for a celebration, forcing them to await the White Sox make-up game that now holds the key to the AL Central.

The Royals' percentage for the season was .463, which is nothing to crow about, but considering the September record, demonstrates the rather poor performance over the summer. I sure hope we see some better playing in 2009. It has been a long time since the 1980s when the Royals were easy to cheer for.

It's a Little Late, Royals

I've noted with mixed feelings the fact that the Kansas City Royals have been doing much better than they did, in say, August when they were 7 for 27 or .259.

Thus far, in September, they are 13 for 20 or .650. Their last 10 games show 8 wins.

If they had played in May, June, July and August the way they're playing now, they'd be heading for the playoffs. (yes, I know the season began on March 31, but they actually did reasonably well leading off this season -- .444 for March and April)

Come on Royals -- we know you can do it!

MLB, umpires approve instant replay | MLB.com: News

MLB, umpires approve instant replay | MLB.com: News:

"Major League Baseball has signed an agreement with the World Umpires Association, approving the implementation of instant replay for disputed home run calls sometime before the end of the season, one of MLB's top officials told MLB.com on Wednesday. ..."

Thus far it seems that this will be limited to disputed home run calls (i.e. near the foul pole), but I wonder if this may lead to other disputes. Like did the runner touch first before the ball hit the first baseman's glove?

Help us all if the strike zone gets instant replay. Sometimes the home plate umpire is the only thing that gives a game any personality...

IOC agrees to Internet blocking at the Games - International Herald Tribune

IOC agrees to Internet blocking at the Games - International Herald Tribune:

"BEIJING: The Chinese government confirmed Wednesday what journalists arriving at the lavishly outfitted media center here had suspected: Contrary to previous assurances by Olympic and government officials, the Internet would be censored during the upcoming games.

Since the Olympic Village press center opened Friday, reporters have been unable to access scores of Web pages - politically sensitive ones that discuss Tibetan succession, Taiwanese independence, the violent crackdown of the protests in Tiananmen Square and the sites of Amnesty International, Radio Free Asia and several Hong Kong newspapers known for their freewheeling political discourse.

On Wednesday - two weeks after its most recent proclamation of an uncensored Internet during the Summer Games - the International Olympic Committee quietly agreed to some of the limitations, according to Kevan Gosper, chairman of the IOC press commission, Reuters reported. ..."

This is a shocking development. Why couldn't the IOC simply have refused to acquiesce in this? The Chinese government will do what it will, but there is absolutely no reason to "agree" to what will be imposed in any case.

The internet has been for most people a source of freedom. Information, ideas, discussions, blogging have all "flattened" the world (as Thomas Friedman would put it) -- but there is a large part of the world where such concepts are repressed. This is ironic to see in a nation which has embraced state-of-the-art networking technology and has a network infrastructure that is significantly ahead of the US and Europe.

Google has cooperated in filtering content into China. Yahoo has provided identifying information that has resulted in at least one internet user going to jail. This is not that the Internet is about.

I have mixed feelings about the Olympics this year. I remember the tit-for-tat boycotts of the Olympics by the USA and USSR in 1980 and 1984 and thinking that it did nothing but use the athletes as proxies in the Cold War. It's a little late to do anything for the 2008 Olympics, but there really need to be clear understandings about what is required when a nation undertakes to host the Olympic Games -- and clear repercussions for failure to deliver.

Show-Me State Games 2008

The Show-Me State Games are underway in Missouri. This three week event began last weekend and covers pretty nearly the full spectrum of sports from cycling to shooting to archery to triathlon.

This year my son, who has enjoyed trap shooting for a couple years now, was encouraged by the owner of one of the local rod and gun clubs to enter the games this year. I was more than happy to help make it happen, and he shot in the Youth Male division (16 and under).

The trap and skeet events use the "Lewis Classes" in which all the contestants shoot, and when the final results are in, they are separated into classes by score. Each class has its own set of medals. The upside of this is that the top shooters don't take all the medals, allowing the less experienced contestants a reasonable hope of placing in their class. Ironically, though, this often leads to a situation where if a contestant broke one less target, then he or she would have taken the gold in the next lower class instead of not getting a medal in the higher class.

Well, Liam broke 35/50 targets which resulted in a bronze medal in the "C" class (there were four classes today) -- not bad for his first time in a structured competition. He was in a squad with four adults and they welcomed him and treated him as a equal. It's nice to see how all the shooters -- male, female, youth, adult -- competed together. The importance of adult role models cannot be overrated here or in any other aspect of life.

Liam has one more year in the youth division, and at age 17 he will be considered an adult for competition. We watched some of the other squads shoot and were impressed with the level of skill shown by the men and women. The "A" class for adult males had a 5-way tie for first, all having broken 49/50 clay targets. The tie-breaker is the longest string of broken targets, and the gold medalist had broken 35 in a row. If you do the math on this, the range of tie-breaking strings is 25-49, so the difference here is very slight.

The squad on the firing line.

He shattered the target, but out of the image frame...

A tired young man

On 25th anniversary, Brett recalls pine tar homer

On 25th anniversary, Brett recalls pine tar homer:

"KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- George Brett says he's surprised that people still make a big deal out of his 1983 'pine tar' home run at Yankee Stadium.

The Kansas City Royals Hall of Famer's ninth-inning blast was taken away after umpires ruled the pine tar on Brett's bat extended too far up the shaft. Brett erupted from the dugout in one of baseball's all-time tirades.

The Royals protested the call, it was later overturned, and the two teams finished the game weeks later. The Royals won 5-4."

It just doesn't seem that long ago...

What a game! And what an anti-climax when they had to get back together for the final three outs.

Eric Liddell's story to set Chinese hearts racing - Telegraph

Eric Liddell's story to set Chinese hearts racing - Telegraph:

"Who knows how the Chariots of Fire story is likely to go down in communist China, but we are about to find out. Eric Liddell, or Li Airui as he was known in the Far East, was considered a godly, heroic figure in non-communist China, and now the modern-day Chinese authorities have agreed to let his story of Christian humanity and sporting excellence be told."

This Telegraph article is a timely reminder of some of the history of the Olympics, and what one competitor did with the rest of his short life.

Specter Calls Patriots’ Spying Wider Than Stated - New York Times

Specter Calls Patriots’ Spying Wider Than Stated - New York Times:

"WASHINGTON — After meeting with a former New England Patriots employee who helped the team spy on opponents, Senator Arlen Specter on Wednesday described the team’s illicit videotaping tactics as more systematic and deliberate than what the N.F.L. has acknowledged publicly. ..."

"... Mr. Specter, a longtime Philadelphia Eagles fan, has battled with the N.F.L. on several issues over the years. This time, with his continued criticism of the league’s investigation into the Patriots, he is raising questions about the legitimacy of the Patriots’ accomplishments — which include three Super Bowl titles this decade, one against the Eagles, and an 18-0 record last season before a loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl. ..."

Do we really need a Senate investigation of this?

To be clear, I consider what the Patriots did to have been unethical. They have been punished fairly harshly by the NFL with fines totaling $750,000 and loss of a first-round draft pick, and that should be the end of it.

Why subject the country to yet another senatorial circus with the attendant posturing for the TV cameras. Surely there are more substantive things for Arlen Specter and the rest of the US Senate to be attending to....

Go Royals!

It's been a while since the Royals have had a season open like this. With the 4-0 win over the New York Yankees yesterday their record improved to a quite respectable 6-2. I'm going to enjoy it while I can and hope I don't jinx them.

Can This Last?

As of last night, the Kansas City Royals were 3-0 -- a statistic that I was beginning to despair of ever seeing again. Keep it up guys!

NFL Reverses Call On Church Parties - washingtonpost.com

NFL Reverses Call On Church Parties - washingtonpost.com (Registration required):

"The NFL, which found itself on the receiving end of protests and controversy after it objected to churches showing the Super Bowl on big-screen televisions, has reversed course and will now permit the viewings.

In a letter to Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league would not object to 'live showings -- regardless of screen size -- of the Super Bowl' by religious organizations.

In response to questions from Hatch, Goodell said in the letter, dated Feb. 19, the NFL will implement the policy starting with next year's Super Bowl. ..."

A wise choice.

NFL Pulls Plug On Big-Screen Church Parties For Super Bowl - washingtonpost.com

NFL Pulls Plug On Big-Screen Church Parties For Super Bowl - washingtonpost.com:

"For years, as many as 200 members of Immanuel Bible Church and their friends have gathered in the church's fellowship hall to watch the Super Bowl on its six-foot screen. The party featured hard hitting on the TV, plenty of food -- and prayer.

But this year, Immanuel's Super Bowl party is no more. After a crackdown by the National Football League on big-screen Super Bowl gatherings by churches, the Springfield church has sacked its event. Instead, church members will host parties in their homes.

Immanuel is among a number of churches in the Washington area and elsewhere that have been forced to use a new playbook to satisfy the NFL, which said that airing games at churches on large-screen TV sets violates the NFL copyright."

This is not exactly new, but the NFL is starting to get litigious about churches that host parties, many of which collect food for local food banks in association with the event. These "Souper Bowl" parties encourage each attendee to bring a food item for the needy, but do not charge any kind of admission.

The NFL is suffused with arrogance and greed from the players on up to those who breathe the rarefied air of the sky boxes. I can't see how even church groups numbered in the hundreds can cut into NFL profits. If nothing else, there are more warm bodies viewing the advertising.

Fortunately the ban extends only to television sets greater than 55 inches. I suppose this will have to be adjudicated, though. Are we talking nominal size or actual size? Do we use the diagonal measurement or the horizontal? What about digital versus analog?

If you use a digital projector, you'll just have to use the zoom feature to bring it in just under 55 inches or you may just receive a letter from the NFL.....

I don't have a dog in this fight (although, to be honest, it wouldn't bother me to see the Patriots get their 19th win this season). Beyond that, I think I will check in every so often to see the score, and ignore the game otherwise. Pretty much as I've been doing for several years now. When I go to a Super Bowl gathering it's for the friends, fellowship and food. The game is secondary.

Oh well. I'm starting off February in a rather curmudgeonly way. It must be the snowstorm.

The Denver Post - Rox ticket system crashes

The Denver Post - Rox ticket system crashes:

"The Colorado Rockies have suspended online sales for World Series tickets, spokesman Jay Alves said this afternoon.

Alves said that several hundred sales that went through today will be honored. 'We are as frustrated and disappointed as (fans) are,' Alves said.

He said the servers were overwhelmed this morning and that officials had no idea that so many people would try the website.

It was unclear when World Series sales would resume. ..."

They'd better get this fixed quickly, or there will be a lot of unhappy Coloradoans.

Someone needs to upgrade a few servers here, and maybe add load balancing.

www.kansascity.com: A’s played last KC game 40 years ago

www.kansascity.com: A’s played last KC game 40 years ago:

"Forty years ago tonight, a young Jim Hunter — the fans called him Catfish — was in the zone. Bottom of the ninth, two outs. The frustrated White Sox had managed just three hits and no runs.

Was it heat? A change-up? Whatever: Chicago first baseman Tom McCraw liked what he saw and took a hack at Hunter’s offering.

Pop-up, foul territory. The game, second of a doubleheader at Municipal Stadium, 22nd and Brooklyn, was over.

McCraw and his teammates left the diamond disgusted. Losing both games to the lowly Kansas City Athletics all but eliminated them from the 1967 pennant race.

Hunter and his teammates walked from the chilly night air into a different kind of immortality: It was the last game the Kansas City A’s would ever play in Kansas City."

Forty years may seem a long time, and there is a whole generation of Kansas City Royals fans who have only a vague idea, if any, that the Oakland A's were ever in Kansas City. (I can't remember hearing them called anything but the Kansas City Athletics; did the "A's" moniker come later?) But the fact remains that the Oakland team is perhaps the one team most disliked by the folks in Kansas City.

Tour of Missouri 2007

The Tour of Missouri was scheduled to pass beside my building at around 3:30, so as soon as the webcam showed that they were two miles out, I went down to the corner and waited. With a little forethought I could have had my 6.2 megapixel Nikon with zoom lens at work with me, but I had to settle for my 1.2 megapixel camera built into my Blackjack. It didn't do too badly, but working in the bright sun was a pain.


And waited.

A score or more of various police cars and motorcycles went by, and several minutes later the peloton appeared.


It seemed like it was over as soon as it happened. This was a pretty tight group and there were a few stragglers behind. Several support vehicles for the racers went by with a few more stragglers spread out.


And finally five racers at the tail end of the procession pedaled toward the finish. They were gutsy and the remaining spectators gave them an ovation.


All-in-all, a nice way to spend the remaining few minutes of a Friday at work.

SI.com - MLB - Rangers first team in 110 years to score 30 runs

SI.com - MLB - Rangers first team in 110 years to score 30 runs:

"BALTIMORE (AP) -- Five runs in the fourth inning.

Nine runs in the sixth.

Ten in the eighth.

Six more in the ninth.

The Texas Rangers rounded the bases at a dizzying pace and became the first team in 110 years to score 30 runs in a game, setting an American League record Wednesday in a 30-3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles."

Two grand slams, three 3-run homers, and one solo homer -- and all the Texas offense was concentrated in four innings. That must have been a wild ride.

The hapless opening pitcher got the loss, since he stayed 5 innings, leaving the score 5-3. The other three pitchers allowed 25 runs between them.

First YouTube video cited in court opinion | Tech news blog - CNET News.com

First YouTube video cited in court opinion | Tech news blog - CNET News.com:

"Terence Evans this week became the first judge in the United States to cite a YouTube video in a written opinion.

Evans, a President Clinton nominee who sits on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was writing about a case involving a trademark dispute over 'Stealth' baseball bats.

The case deals with baseball Hall-of-Famer George Brett, who joined a baseball bat manufacturer after he left the Kansas City Royals. Now Brett Brothers Sports International is embroiled in a trademark dispute with Central Manufacturing, which is a hyper-litigious company owned by Leo Stoller that claims broad trademark rights in the world 'Stealth.'

As background, Evans included a description of what baseball fans remember as Brett's famous Pine Tar Incident in a 1983 game against the New York Yankees over whether the bat was legal to be used. Brett's home run was nullified by an umpire, the Yankees won, but on appeal to the American League his team got a second try and eventually beat the Yankees 5-4. ..."

Here is a blending of two of my favorite subjects -- the glory days of the Royals, and new uses of technology. Note that the video referenced in the judge's opinion has since been removed at the request of Major League Baseball.

This has brought back many fond memories of the 1980's Kansas City Royals and one of my favorite sports cartoons: George Brett is standing in the batters box, the umpire is bent over facing away from Brett brushing off home plate, and the catcher warns Brett "Remember George, only up to the label..."

Royals Showing Signs of Life

I was doing the morning drive to work, and I was snapped out of my lethargy (don't worry - my wife was driving) by the words "The Royals broke their winning streak last night..." You don't hear "Royals" and "winning streak" too often in the same sentence these days, so it does tend to bring my brain to wakefulness.

Looking into the recent performance, the Royals have won 7 of the last 10 and 9 of the last 15 -- so it seems to show improvement -- and that is about all we die-hard Royals fans have these days. Keep it up, Royals!