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SPORTS
The Spencer Magnet • June 11, 2014
B
Coach Marion heading back to Bullitt County
by MIKE FARNER
The Pioneer News
A familiar face in Bullitt County basketball circles has been named the new
girls’ head coach at North Bullitt as Dave
Marion will take over the reigns of the
program after the resignation of Amber
Courtney a month ago.
Marion hit the ground running as the
Lady Eagles will be jumping into summer action this week with a number of
games on Monday, Friday and Saturday.
On Friday, Marion admitted to being
a little surprised when he got the call
from North Bullitt athletic director Ryan
Bringhurst that he had come out on top
after two interviews with the committee
to fill the position left open by Courtney
who is now the head coach at Bardstown
High School.
Marion has been the head coach at
Spencer County High School the past two
seasons, but has been employed by the
Bullitt County Public School System the
past six years as an ISAP instructor at
Eastside Middle School. From 2008 to
2010, Marion was the head girls’ coach at
Eastside and during that stretch he was
also an assistant coach with the Bullitt
East girls’ program. For one year, he was
the boys’ coach at Brown High School in
Jefferson County.
Before his ties to Bullitt County,
Marion worked as the girls’ coach at
Whitefield Academy for two years. Since
2006, Marion has been running his own
traveling team, the Louisville Lady
Tigers.
At Spencer County, Marion was in a
tough position, building a program that
was short on talent while playing in a
district that had one of the state’s top programs in Anderson County along with the
two schools in Shelby County. Marion
posted a 17-42 mark, losing to Anderson
County in the opening round of the 30th
District Tournament each of those two
seasons.
During that two-year stint at Spencer
County, Marion lost two games to North
Bullitt (as well as two to Bullitt Central),
including a 79-50 setback back on
February 17.
Marion sees the move to North Bullitt
as a move up in the hierarchy of girls’
basketball in the area.
“I see this as a step up in competi-
FILE PHOTO/ The Spencer Magnet
Pictured is Dave Marion during a game in 2012, his first season with Spencer County High School. Marion has accepted a position to be the
head girls basketball coach at North Bullitt High School.
tion,” the coach said on Friday. “We did a
lot of good things to get that program (at
Spencer County) moving in the right
direction. North Bullitt is just a step up in
competition.”
Marion saw North Bullitt play a number of games this past season and he
coached against some of the Lady Eagle
players back when he was the head coach
at Eastside.
“I’ve actually known some of the
players since I was at Eastside,” Marion
pointed out. “I have coached against
them. Katie (Downey) and Erin Dolan
were in the sixth grade teams when I was
here. Then in the summer we’ve played
some of the North Bullitt Elite teams.”
Marion is a 1987 graduate of Iroquois
High School, but he did not play basketball. The 44-year old did not dream of
coaching after high school and college,
but coaching found him. That happened
when his brother-in-law recruited him to
help coach a girls’ fourth-grade team.
“He said come help and I fell in love
and have coached ever since,” he recalled.
Marion, and his wife Andrea, have
been married for 20 years and have two
children – Emily and Andrew. Emily is 20
and a graduate of Male High School
while Andrew, 14, will be starting at
Male in the fall.
The new Lady Eagle coach is well
aware that he is inheriting a program that
returns a lot of key components from a
team that has won 64 games over the past
three seasons along with winning three
consecutive district titles.
“I’m very, very competitive,” Marion
said. “I expect to win. I also plan to
incorporate some fun in practices and
games. If we don’t have fun, then it is
hard on everybody.”
Marion knows that in high school a
coach has to alter his style based on the
talent at hand. Still, the coach wants to
emphasize defense.
“As far as style, I’m a defensiveminded coach,” Marion said. “I love to
press and play man-to-man and use halfcourt traps. We want to play fast and
fundamentally sound.”
Marion and the team members were
going to start practicing together this past
weekend before a series of games this
week. The group is then going to camp at
Transylvania University for three days
starting on June 17. After the ‘dead peri-
Bad sportsmanship ruins sports for everyone
SPORTS SCENE
by JOHN
SHINDLEBOWER
Sports
Columnist
You’ve seen it on the college
basketball court, the little league
baseball field and now we’ve seen
it at the race track and it’s never
pretty. Bad sportsmanship has a
way of ruining great moments and
revealing not-so-great character.
At Saturday’s Belmont Stakes,
the last leg of horseracing’s Triple
Crown, the whole nation seemed to
take at least a passing interest in
California Chrome’s bid to be the
first horse to sweep the big three
races in 36 years. After he won the
Kentucky Derby on that first
Saturday in May, the buzz began
because of the impressive way he
ran.
After he took the Preakness in
Maryland a few weeks later, the
talk really began. Even nonhorseracing fans were happy to
hear that Belmont stewards would
allow Chrome to wear that breathright nasal strip that might allow
him to perform optimally. Sports
fans in general were anxious to
finally rally behind a horse that
could do what many had begun to
believe was an impossible task –
winning the Triple Crown.
On Saturday, the horse ran, the
horse was in contention, but the
horse finished fourth. California
Chrome co-owner Steve Coburn
wasn’t happy and he spewed off to
anyone with a microphone in the
minutes following the race. He
didn’t let up the day after.
The winner, Tonalist, was one
of several who had skipped either
the Derby, the Preakness or both.
Coburn insists that isn’t fair, even
though that’s the way it’s been done
throughout history. There are no
rules that dictate a horse run in all
three races. They are separate
events and the Triple Crown is not
some minutely governed event with
specific rules. Rather, it’s more of
an informal title give to any threeyear-old horse that could claim
three of the biggest and most historic races in America.
Watching a 62-year-old man
storm about after the race was disheartening. Instead of being thankful that his horse had made him
and other owners a lot of money,
with even more money to be made
in the breeding barn, Coburn
decided to pitch a fit more suited
to a nine-year-old kid who struck
out for the third time in a game, on
nine pitches that he’s sure the
umpire didn’t see correctly.
I can understand Coburn’s disappointment, but not the frustration. The Triple Crown setup was
not altered for his horse. Other
horses flirting with history in the
past have had the same thing happen to them. Should a pitcher who
loses his bid for a no-hitter in the
bottom of the ninth to a pinch-hitter be upset because the player who
reached base came to the plate
more rested than the others? It’s a
silly argument.
I would like to think that most
62-year-old men would be better
examples of sportsmanship. Adults
need to be the ones to teach it to
the younger children.
Several weeks ago, I stopped to
watch a youth baseball game while
walking one evening with my wife.
I stood behind the backstop and
watched as a young pitcher struggled to find the strike zone. Pitch
after pitch either it the dirt, flew
over the catcher’s head or sailed
way outside. He walked two or
three straight batters and the catcher was getting irritated. At one
point, the catcher had to jog back
to the backstop to pick up another
wild pitch and the pitcher had
walked toward home plate as if to
apologize to the catcher.
This young catcher, however,
was mad. He took the ball and
threw it at the pitcher, not to him.
The pitcher was able to dodge out
of the way and the umpire quickly
said something to the catcher and
his coach. The coach came out but
it didn’t look like a lot was said.
What a wasted opportunity. The
catcher should have been immediately removed from the game.
In that same game, I saw a kid
from the opposite team slam a bat
into the ground, shake his head and
glare back at the umpire after a
called third strike. No doubt, he’s
seen big leaguers do the same and
he’ll continue to model that poor
behavior as long as no one corrects
him.
Both of these young kids needed lessons in sportsmanship and
the adults in charge missed a
chance to make a lasting impression.
Do injustices occur in sports?
Sure. But there’s a right way and a
wrong way to go about rectifying
errors, just as there are in life.
Young kids need to be taught
respect for authority and the rules.
When I coached baseball, I told the
young boys that the umpire was
always right. He was the authority
on the field and they were never to
question anything he said. Even if
the umpire makes a bad call, he’s
still right, I tried to explain. Any
questions to the umpire should be
handled by the coach, not the player.
More importantly, it’s up to parents to instill sportsmanship. It’s
not an easy task, and one made
more difficult when you turn on
the television and see the grandfasee RUIN, page B10
od’, which ends on July 9, the group will
play in a summer league with games split
between Moore and Doss.
With such a late hiring for the summer, Marion will not have time to put
together a summer youth camp at the
school, but that is something that he will
do next summer.
While Courtney built a strong varsity
program at North Bullitt, she was always
battling low numbers in the program
overall.
“I talked about that in my interview,”
Marion said. “We had low numbers at
Spencer County. I built that up by going
to middle school games and hosting
camps and tournaments.
“We want to get the numbers up,” the
coach added. “That is an issue we’ll deal
with first. I’ll be out and about just to get
our kids playing.”
After Marion was hired, the assistant
coaches under Courtney all resigned. Just
days after getting the job, Marion was
busy working to find a coaching staff for
the upcoming season.
Mitchell’s philanthropy
at UK would draw a
bully
The American
Institute of
SPORTS Philanthropy
(AIP) changed its
IN KY
name the other
day to
by BOB
CharityWatch.
WATKINS
I like the origSports Columnist
inal better, don’t
you? Never mind,
the bottom line
part is who’s who one the list, right? American philanthropists give away money of their own for the
betterment of worthy causes beyond themselves.
On the list: Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Henry
Bloch, 50 Cent and Matthew Mitchell.
Mitchell on the list? Just kidding, but it’s true a
University of Kentucky ball coach has gone philanthropic. With fanfare of course.
“Bully for you young man. That’s Bully.” Teddy
Roosevelt would approve.
Mitchell giving back is wonderful isn’t it? Well,
sort of.
The UK ball coach intends to allot 100 grand
from his pay every year for 10 years, give back to UK
department of athletics.
Maybe Mitchell read another remark from TR.
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you
are.”
Loving where he is, the University of Kentucky, I
can understand and appreciate. But forgive me a bit
of fiscal cynicism here. Isn’t this more like a department employee taking a pay cut?
Coaching at Kentucky, Mitchell makes $1.1 million-a-year. Putting $100,000 back into Mitch
Barnhart’s budget looks to be short on philanthropy
and long on theater. And the deal came two weeks
before John Calipari said no to a reported $70 million
offer from Cleveland Cavaliers then signed a new $52
million seven year deal with UK.
All things considered, Mitchell’s deal shakes out
kind of showy, don’t you think?
Never mind. The larger impact here could be less
about Mitchell’s place on a list with Gates, Buffett
and 50 Cent than a subtle challenge.
To wit: “Okay, Cal, you and your overpaid ball
see BULLY, page B10
The Spencer Magnet • June 11, 2014
B10
Bully
from page B1
coach pals around the country
– while the pizza delivery kid
has his fingers crossed for a
minimum wage increase so he
can afford $2.85-a-gallon of
gas to deliver your pie on time,
let’s see what you got!”
Will be a treat won’t it,
next time the American
Institute of Philanthropy issues
its list, to see who’s who?
WORLD SERIES III
Hat trick. The Louisville
Cardinals are headed to the
College Baseball World Series
for third year in a row. A
record 6,000 fans watched U of
L come from behind, beat
Kennesaw State, firm up a
49-15 record and head to
Omaha.
With only the NBA playoffs and early going in Major
League Baseball to compete,
and the MLB draft as lead-in,
the College World Series in
America’s heartland has a perfect niche for television coverage and potential to become a
fan favorite in college sports.
Under the commercial heading:
“These are tomorrow’s Big
Leaguers.”
If only college baseball
would eliminate aluminum
bats.
MOST FUN JOB IN
COLLEGE HOOPS?
Most fun job in college
basketball next season?
Eliminate the face-of-thegamers: Krzyzewski, Pitino,
Calipari and Izzo. Too rich, too
much media, too pressured and
too encumbered by self-importance.
Scratch off the crowd of socalled mid-major coaches. Not
as much pressure maybe, not
enough media and too focused
on jump to next job.
Instead, pick a man with
big charm, bigger charisma
and talk-all-day baloney. A
risk-taker who, after being
caught cheating, fell so far
from grace he landed in an
ESPN studio expert chair next
to the king of hot air, Dick
Vitale.
With an NCAA probation
that ends August 24, still a
connect to ESPN, a new pay
grade ($2.2 million a year), a
new arena, new pep rally optimism and nowhere to go but
up, it’s Bruce Pearl at Auburn.
The new darling of college
hoops, Pearl will coach a team
that hasn’t played in an NCAA
Tournament since gasoline was
$2 a gallon (11 years ago). We
get a look-in Dec. 4 when
ESPN or the SEC Network sets
up in Lubbock, Texas.
KEEPIN’ ‘EM HOME
DEPT.
Seems only yesterday Matt
Elam was the in-state prospect
Kentucky desperately needed
to keep at home. Today, fans
around the Commonwealth
need only look at Madison
Southern’s Damien Harris’s list
of schools he’s considering to
know he’s 2015’s Must-Keepat-Home candidate – Michigan,
Florida State, Alabama, Ohio
State, Notre Dame, Oregon and
Kentucky.
And so it goes.
Ruin
from page B1
therly-looking Coburn throwing a
tantrum in front of the cameras.
Thankfully, we still are surrounded by more good sports than bad
ones, and we can make sure that
continues if we just teach our
young ones how to win well and
how to lose well.
Kentucky’s own Tom T. Hall
scored perhaps his biggest hit
with a simple little song called “I
Love.” In it, Hall said he loves
“winners when they cry” and
“losers when they try.” Simple
words in a simple song, but so
much truth in them. Humility and
the value of putting forth your
best effort are perhaps the greatest lessons youth sports have to
offer. Don’t let bad sportsmanship
ruin it for everyone.
Saturday, June 14 Suggested Itinerary
11AM
Welcome Ceremony with the cast of The Stephen Foster Story
- at the Bardstown Visitor’s Center
12PM
1PM
Enjoy lunch at one of Bardstown’s Fine Restaurants
FREE EVENT
FREE EVENT
HarmonicaMania! - Farmer’s Market Pavillion
Receive a free harmonica and learn to play “Oh! Susanna”
2PM
2:30PM
“Old Dog Tray” with Bourbon City Bark Park at Farmer’s Market
4PM
Foster Alive! - Old Bardstown Village - Become a cast member
and re-enact classic scenes from The Stephen Foster Story
12PM-5PM
The American Experience: Stephen Foster - The Old Library
View the stunning PBS documentary, showing on the hour
FREE EVENT
FREE EVENT
FREE EVENTS
Dancing Through Time - Wickland - learn to dance the
Waltz and Polka with cast member - light refreshments provided
History in Programs and Pictures - Wickland - View a display
of souvenir programs and photos from the Stephen Foster Story
Light refreshments provided
Also Throughout The Day
Tour My Old Kentucky Home* - Doo Dah Discount Available
Visit The Civil War Museum Complex* - Doo Dah Discount Available
The Bardstown Art Gallery - Jim Cantrell’s Stephen Foster collection
Farmer’s Market - Locally grown produce and flowers 7:30am to 12:30pm
Visit the Fine Arts Bardstown Art Gallery
Shop Mainstreet Bardstown
Visit Bourbon Distilleries, Wineries and The Oscar Getz Whiskey Museum
Whiskey City Cruisers - Stroll among classic cars from yesteryear
4pm to Dusk at the Justice Center
*Tickets available for purchase at individual site. Go to www.visitbardstown.com for more info.
5PM
7PM
Dine at one of Bardstown’s Fine Restaurants
Dessert & Drinks Reception sponsored by
and Opening Night Performance of
The Stephen Foster Story - 8:30pm Showtime
(Tickets for Reception & Show: $30 Adult / $15 Child)
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SPORTS
The Spencer Magnet • July 2, 2014
B
Anglers reel in winners at weekly tournament
by WILLIAM B. CARROLL
Spencer Magnet Editor
Fishing is in the blood for
many of the Friday Night “3
Keeper Club” tournament participants, but none more so than
Jarrod Swift. The Mt. Washington
angler said he got his start the
same way most young men begin
their fishing careers, with their
fathers.
“I grew up in Somerset,”
Swift said. “My dad and I fished
Lake Cumberland for years.”
Swift’s father Darrel was
also part of the tournament, fishing on a separate boat with wife
Judy Swift.
The Friday Night tournament
is part of three similar tournaments held on different nights of
the week at Taylorsville Lake
State Park. According to Swift
the Friday night tournament is
the largest tournament of the
three.
“The Friday tournament usually has between 60 and 70 boats
while the Tuesday tournament
has around 50 boats,” Swift said.
“The Monday tournament has
between 40 and 50 boats.”
The tournament was founded
nine years ago by Jim Vernon
and is now managed by John
Doll and James Sumptor.
“The Friday night tournament is really a good group of
people, lot of father and son
teams come out to fish the lake
and be a part of the tournament,”
Swift said.
According to Swift the event
is one part NASCAR and one
part fishing tournament.
“Just wait till you see everyone take off,” he said.
Each boat pays $25 to compete in the tournament, which
included 53 boats for Friday’s
tournament. The tournament
paid out to five places with first
place garnering around $600.
Also an additional prize is
awarded to the angler who brings
in the largest fish.
The tournament is called the
“3 Keeper Club” because participants are only allowed to keep 3
fish for weigh in purposes.
Anglers compete by attempting
to catch largemouth bass, which
must be at least 15 inches in
length in order to be kept and
weighed.
As part of the competition,
anglers drew numbered chips to
LYNETTE MASON/The Spencer Magnet
Top photo: Jarrod Swift catches a smaller bass during Friday evening’s tournament. Swift said that in order to qualify a fish must measure at least 15
inches. This little guy was thrown back for another day. Bottom Photo: Keith King (left) and Jim Vernon (right) drive by Swift’s boat Friday evening. Vernon
is the original founder of the tournament, having started the tournament nine years ago.
tell them their starting positions
for the competition. Positions
work similarly to positions in a
NASCAR race, with the competitor drawing the first chip
leaving the starting line first followed in order by the other competitors. When anglers hear their
number called they gas their
boats in an all out sprint to reach
their favored positions around
Taylorsville Lake.
Swift who drew number 17
gassed his Phoenix bass boat and
skidded along the lake surface
on his way to his favorite fishing
spot. Prior to the event Swift
went around the lake chatting
with several other participants
including John Boatright and
Jerry Stepp.
“You need to watch out for
this guy,” Stepp said referring to
Swift.
“Take a note of where he
(Swift) goes,” Boatright joked in
reference to Swift’s favorite fishing locales.
“This is all about just getting
on the water and having a good
time,” Swift said.
According to several of the
other anglers, Swift has quite a
good time, having won several of
the
weekly
tournaments.
According to Swift, each of the
weekly tournaments also awards
an angler of the year title which
Swift admitted to having won
several times as well.
Friday’s tournament was no
different as Swift captured not
only the overall victory, but also
won for the largest fish. The top
five finalists were as follows:
1st place: Jarrod Swift- 3
fish, 9.78 lbs.
2nd place: Clint and Bobby
Allgeier- 3 fish, 8.95 lbs.
3rd place: Robby Hicks &
Jimmy Lay- 3 fish, 6.97 lbs.
4th place: Zach Shields &
Kennth Bentley- 3 fish, 6.85 lbs.
5th place: Cody Boblitt &
Soccer, a fad for Americans
SPORTS SCENE
by JOHN
SHINDLEBOWER
Sports
Columnist
We are a nation of fads. In my
childhood, I witnessed senseless
trends like disco music, mood rings
and bell bottom jeans. In my teens,
America endured big hair and big
hair bands. I watched otherwise sensible people become enamored with
punk rock, Swatches and the mystery of Who Shot J.R.?
In the 90s as my own children
were growing, I warned them against
silly fads like Pokemon, Beanie
Babies and Power Rangers. I don’t
think I deprived my children of good
childhoods, but I know we saved a
lot of money riding out the storm of
trendiness. Thanks to my daughter,
our household was infested by a
particular annoying purple dinosaur
for a few years, but we survived.
Since then, other fads have come
and gone, and others have lived on
longer that I thought they would.
Rap music, rap in country - which is
near blasphemy, the prevalence of
tattoos, $4 cups of coffee, comic
book movies and selfies show no
sign of loosening their grip on our
culture.
While constantly changing, fads
will always be part of America.
Some are harmless and silly, some
leave me scratching my head and
questioning our collective sanity.
However, to each their own as long
as pressure to follow isn’t too overthe-top.
We might be approaching that
pressure limit with the push to force
all Americans to embrace soccer.
The World Cup is without a doubt
the biggest single sporting even on
the globe. I accept that and I accept
that soccer is the most popular sport
in just about every nation other than
the U.S. Good for them. But for
whatever reasons, Americans just
haven’t taken to soccer like other
sports and we shouldn’t feel embarrassed or inferior because of it.
Now, I’m not a soccer hater. My
daughter played soccer from the
time she was four until she finished
high school. I even coached her for
several years at the youth level when
strategy was limited to instructing
the swarm of short-legged kids
which direction to kick the ball.
I readily admit the game requires
skill, hard work and tons of endursee SOCCER page B8
Kyle Harris- 3 fish, 6.84 lbs.
Biggest fish: Jarrod Swift
3.76 lbs.
According to tournament
sponsors, 53 boats participated
in the tournament with 34 boats
coming back with fish. A total of
68 qualifying fish were caught
as part of the tournament.
MLB at halftime,
still the bedrock
of American sport
Major
League
SPORTS
Baseball. Our
grand old game
IN KY
reached its
half-way mark
by BOB
last week-end,
WATKINS
81 games
Sports Columnist
played, 81 left.
Nothing
quite like the
regal old game for those of us who ignore the critics
“... too slow, too long, too boring, too old.” Baseball
remains the bedrock of American sport. Beautiful and
precise. Game of inches on a green ... sounds, smells,
strategies and seventh inning stretch and ageless
anthem.
‘Take Me Out to The Ball game ... I don’t care if I
see MLB, page B8
DON’T MISS YOUR TARGET WITH OUR
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Call Lynette to advertise by July 18 at 477-2239 ext. 25
The Spencer Magnet • July 2, 2014
B8
ance. I would probably even suggest that soccer is
the best game for young kids starting out in sports.
It’s inclusive of all on the team in fun roles unlike
from page B1
youth football, over half the team is not sidelined on
the bench like basketball and the game is constantly
moving and active, unlike baseball. For those who
pursue soccer into high school and beyond, I extend my best wishes and support.
Just don’t complain because the stands aren’t full for your games and opportunities for playing for pay are extremely limited in the United States. I don’t think
Americans intend to hate soccer, they just haven’t fallen in love with the game. It’s
like that popular girl in school that all the other guys think is amazing. You recognize she has good looks, a great personality, tons of friends and you’d be Mr. Cool
if you could be seen with her. But for whatever reason, you’re just not smitten. It’s
not her fault. It’s not your fault. It’s just the way it is.
Sure, there are millions of Americans who love soccer. Many more love the
game now than they did 30 years ago. Youth soccer programs have grown by leaps
and bounds, but in most cases, these same kids who put on the shin guards and
cleats at age 8 and 9 turn into adults who tune into Monday Night Football, fill out
March Madness brackets in the Spring and spend Memorial Day at a Major League
ballpark with their own kids.
Every four years those pushing soccer make their case that soccer will soon take
over America. Much like the metric system, it’s yet to happen. Some suggest football and the health risks involved will eventually spell the doom of that sport. That’s
simply wishful thinking. Some suggest that baseball is in decline, and they point to
low TV ratings. But attendance at Major League Ballparks is double what it was 30
years ago.
Americans like action and especially action that results in lighting up the scoreboard. Soccer simply doesn’t provide that. Scores of 1-0, 2-1 and even more maddening, the dreaded 1-1 tie as participants merely walk off the field without settling
the matter, are truly foreign to Americans. “But baseball has low scores,” some may
counter. True, but there is potential for a game-changing play with every pitch and
teams will sometimes play 20 plus innings until a winner is declared. The last time
a baseball game ended in a tie was in a meaningless All-Star game, and it sparked
a scandal.
The World Cup has garnered huge television ratings in much of the U.S.
However, among television markets, the Louisville area has recorded some of the
lowest numbers. Kentuckians love sports with shorts, nets and goals - but the sport
they’ve chosen has a wee bit more scoring involved and fewer fake injuries.
I’d suggest that it’s the fad factor driving up much of the attention in the U.S. to
soccer this summer. Add to that a healthy dose of patriotism and rooting for the
Americans, but there’s nothing to point to a lasting change in what sports we favor.
Come August, all talk will be on preseason football camps and by September, fans
will fill up stadiums of more than 100,000 on college campuses across the country.
In October, postseason baseball will culminate with the Fall Classic known as the
World Series. And by the winter, all things World Cup will mostly be forgotten and
fans in these parts will skip funerals and weddings to root on the Cats and Cards on
the hardwood.
Soccer fans shouldn’t take it too hard. The game remains and will remain the
dominant sport across the globe. That should make them happy. Just understand that
America has chosen differently. We like touchdowns, three-pointers and homeruns
more than bicycle kicks, headers and 1-1 ties. We’ll be trendy for a while this summer, but don’t expect it to last.
If it’s any consolation, somewhere out there exists people who collect mood
rings, Village People albums and Swatches. Word is, there’s even a new Power
Rangers movie coming out and hair band reunion tours are big draws. If none of
those things help, then just throw all caution to the wind and get that soccer ball
tattoo and let it be known that what most Americans see as a fad, you see as a lifelong passion.
And between you and me, tattoo removal has come a long way as a growing
business. So one day when you decide it really was just a fad, a little laser procedure
can have your tattoo gone like a Billy Ray Cyrus mullet.
Soccer
ever get back!”
Then, statistics to affirm whatever we want them to
in debate. To wit: Ted Williams was best there ever was.
from page B1
Or, was it Joe DiMaggio? Think of it, they played eons
ago, but we know them as if they played yesterday.
They link us to America’s Pastime for a life time as
much as Field of Dreams, The Natural and Eight Men Out.
Baseball and money? We take pleasure in seeing underdogs – small market teams
with modest budgets – compete well enough with the Cadillac crowd. The Los
Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees whose estimated payrolls are $212 million
and $208 million respectively.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers’s payroll is $91.6; St. Louis Cardinals $99.9
and the Pittsburgh Pirates $71.5 million.
Attendance at all three ball parks is up from 2013.
Where is your favorite team in the standings this week? Still has a shot at the
playoffs, right? Of course it does. 81 games left.
The Pirates are two games over .500 today.
VANDERBILT ‘DORES ARE KINGS
The Southeastern Conference is in the king’s row of college football and basketball (mostly Kentucky and Tennessee), and today, baseball.
The Vanderbilt Commodores staked out a spot on SEC king’s row last month, winning the college world series.
What’s it mean?
Vanderbilt U. has a nationally marketable logo to pair with ultra marketable colors, black and gold.
America loves it when the underdog wins.
And, it probably means a cable price hike before the SEC Network ever gets to
your TV screen next month.
NBA DRAFT & KENTUCKY
Russ Smith. Tears shed over Russ Smith’s NBA draft saga is a nonsensical waste
of water.
Long term and big picture, only one stumbling block kept the Louisville graduate
and All-American from getting the best of it. Not being an NBA first round pick
(guaranteed salary), then being selected 47th and traded was the worst thing to happen.
If he had gone undrafted and emerged as a free agent Smith’s agent could have
shopped him into a job where his (freelance) skills would be effective.
U of L fans may not like it, but no NBA GM is interested in paying large dollars
to a streaky shoot-first, pass-as-last-resort 160-pound point guard who follows the
coach’s instruction some times.
Footnote: With all Rick Pitino’s influence in NBA circles one could conclude Da
Coach’s willingness to help Smith was tepid.
Julius Randle and James Young. How good is this: Seven months at one of the
country’s elite college programs, then zoom, each heads to teams with illustrious
NBA histories? Randle is a Los Angeles Laker millionaire, Young is the same as a
Boston Celtic.
SHOW ME THE MONEY DEPT.
Julius Randle felt he should have been chosen higher than seventh. His rookie pay
schedule: $2.4 million first year, $2.5 million for second and $2.6 million for a third.
James Young’s salary: Year on for player chosen 17th – $1.3 million, then $1.4
million each for next two years.
Since 1947 Kentucky has had 112 players into the NBA, according to an athletic
department press release.
In 1958 Johnny Cox was picked by the New York Knicks after his junior season
(NCAA championship) and then in 1959 by Chicago Zyphers; In 1960 Roger
Newman was drafted, but UK records show he played for the Syracuse Nationals in
1961.
UK record keeping can be shaky. For example, first UK player to play professionally was reportedly Bob Cluggish in 1946.
The Lettermen list includes no such name. In 1938-40 Marion Cluggish, played
two seasons for Adolph Rupp, then no history of professional basketball career.
And so it goes.
MLB
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SPORTS
Erico Smith hosts skills camp
The Spencer Magnet • July 9, 2014
B
Louisville to ACC
is the story of
millennium so far
SPORTS
IN KY
by BOB
WATKINS
Sports Columnist
Submitted to The Spencer Magnet
Former Spencer County Bears track and football star Erico Smith worked out with local kids recently at Spencer County Stallions field.
Smith, who now plays football and runs track for the University of Kentucky, teamed up with some of his current teammates to hold running
and fitness training classes for local kids.
The first event turned out to be a challenging day for these young athletes. Classes are held at the Stallions football field at 100 Water Street
in Taylorsville. Classes are open to all ages. Smith will hold two more sessions the 12th and 19th.
Following rules important in sports, life
SPORTS SCENE
by JOHN
SHINDLEBOWER
Sports
Columnist
If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t
tryin’. So goes the mantra that’s been
repeated in many a NASCAR garage
as pit crews have tried to wrench their
way to the tiniest advantage. For many,
a checkered flag seems to justify a
checkered image.
But it’s not just racing where
shenanagins have been used for a competitive edge in the sporting world. I’m
not sure if any game is immune to
those who try to cut corners, bend the
rules, skirt the system, or just blatantly
cheat to get ahead.
Baseball may have some of the
most notorious cheaters. Spitball pitchers and their nasty habit of applying
saliva to alter the movement of the ball
have been around for decades. Some
have smiled and admitted their slickery
trickery after retirement, while others
deny it to their graves. Pitchers have
been known to take other objects onto
the mound to alter the ball. From
Emory boards to Vaseline, some pitchers are willing to try anything. Earlier
this season, New York Yankee pitcher
Michael Pineda was suspended for ten
games after applying a dob of pine tar
on his neck, then using that substance
to help him better grip the ball on a
cold night.
Of course, the pitchers may argue
that their cheating is done only to balance the scales. After all, batters and
their use of corked bats have ruined the
ERAs of many of throwers over the
course of baseball’s history. Sammy
Sosa embarrassingly had his corked
bat break, exposing his error right
there in front of God, TV cameras and
the umpires. He argued that it was a
bat intended for use in practice, but the
league suspended him eight games.
Of course, Sosa and a host of other
big names from the 90s will forever be
linked to cheating because of steroids
and performance-enhancing drugs. It
nearly ruined the game forever and
baseball still suffers a credibility issue
as long as it regards records of men
like Sosa, Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire
and others whose juiced bodies
accounted for a home run explosion of
inexplicable proportions.
Other sports have had their cheaters
also. Some basketball coaches teach
their players to flop at phony fouls and
have been known to send the wrong
guy to the free-throw line after a foul
in place of the guy who was actually
fouled who happens to be a lousy freethrow shooter.
In football, the NFL’s New England
Patriots were caught videotaping signals and stealing plays from opponents.
Fans from the 70s and 80s can remember the Oakland Raiders and their use
of stickum. At one time in my youth, I
used to think Oakland’s team colors
were black, silver with yellow socks.
The stickum was a yellow sticky substance that receivers and defensive
backs would wear. They’d put it on
their hands to make it easier to catch
balls. I guess at the time it really
wasn’t cheating because the substance
wasn’t banned until later, but surely it
broken the spirit of the rules before the
ban.
Preventing cheating and making
sure rules are followed are the main
purpose of having officials, umpires
and referees on the playing courts and
fields. These men and women are
tasked to prevent cheating, catch cheating and penalize cheating. A linebacker
who jumps off sides would continue
cheating to get an early start if not for
that yellow flag. The 7-foot center
would continue blocking every shot if
no official was there to call goaltending. The guard would take three steps
and palm the basketball every time if
the officials refused...OK...those
guards get away with cheating all the
time, but generally speaking - sports do
make a concentrated effort to follow
the rules of their given sport.
Ironically, perhaps the game with
the best sportsmanship is the game
where there are no striped shirts on the
field of play and no whistles to be
blown, cards to be issued or flags to be
thrown. Golf is known as the gentleman’s game, and probably for good
reason.
In 2010, a player on the PGA tour
named Brian Davis was so close to
winning his first tournament on the
tour. In a playoff with Jim Furyk,
Davis hit a shot that landed in some
brush. As he lifted his club backward
to send the ball toward the green, he
noticed the slightest twitch, indicating
he had hit something on his backswing.
The rules dictate that such contact
requires a two-shot penalty. No one
noticed the infraction, and Davis
wasn’t sure of it himself, but he felt it
and informed PGA officials. They
looked at the replay, and sure enough,
his club made the slightest contact with
a weed. The penalty cost him the tournament, but won him much respect.
Other golfers have sided with integrity over victory. One golfer trying to
qualify for the tour had seemingly done
so, but when he learned that the ball he
had been using was not PGA approved,
he turned the infraction in himself.
Other golfers have admitted scoring
card errors, misplaced balls and other
infractions that likely would have gone
unnoticed. There’s just something
about the gentleman’s code in that
game that leads players to value the
game above their own success.
In our culture, some cheaters are
despised, but let’s admit it, some cheaters we just chuckle at and insist it’s
part of their character. In a perfect
world, we would celebrate those who
are honest, rule-abiding competitors
over those who look for shortcuts,
loopholes and slights-of-hand. We
don’t live in a perfect world.
I thought about this weekend when
I encountered a man with integrity. I’m
not sure if he’s a sports fan or was ever
a sportsman, but he certainly played by
the rules of right and wrong on
Saturday. In a moment of distraction, I
had placed my wallet on top of my
vehicle while pumping gas and forgot
to retrieve it before driving off. I made
it a few blocks from the station before
it fell off and landed in the middle of
the road. This gentleman didn’t see it
fall, but noticed what he thought was a
wallet in the street, and made the effort
to stop and pick it up and to contact
me. This man saved me a lot of headaches, worry and aggravation by his
prompt return of my wallet. How good
to know that in Spencer County, we’ve
got some folks playing by the rules and
doing things the right way. Thanks Mr.
Redmon!
University of Louisville’s entry to the
Atlantic Coast Conference last week is, I
think, the most important sports story of
the new millennium in Kentuckiana.
Among the high, if least mentioned,
positives: Economic impact possibilities
regionally; and, the nearest NBA franchise
will remain at a distance, Indianapolis.
New league, new television option for
fans, new everything. Included, Rick Pitino
spin/coach-speak.
“Rick Pitino could charm the gold out
of your teeth and not even leave you a
toothache,” a friend said awhile ago.
If a poll were done ranking most eloquent ball coaches of our time, on any list,
Pitino would be first, and second, everyone
else tied for third.
He can be Sound Bite Rick for Chris
Mathews on MSNBC or how-to-build-awatch incisive for five minutes on Pardon
The Interruption.
In this context, Pitino gave fans a miniseminar in charm last week. When a
Louisville Courier-Journal reporter asked
him a may-I-kiss-your-ring question about
joining the ACC: “What will it be like to
be part of this coaching Mount Rushmore,
Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams and Jim
Boeheim?”, Pitino apparently resisted gagging and a Pontiff-on-high response too.
“... the programs are much bigger than
the coaches,” he said. “North Carolina,
Syracuse, Duke and Louisville stand far
above the coaches.”
Above the coaches. Nicely correct.
Then, response to another question put
him and U of L in stark contrast with our
state’s other basketball Titan down I-64.
Q. (What are the) other benefits’ (of)
going to the ACC?
Pitino waxed collegial, slipped in a
genuflect to U of L president Dr. James
Ramsey whose new mission is finding
ways to compete with Academia’s big
dogs.
“We’re also going to take off academically,” he said. “We’re looking to really
improve our image academically. So,
instead of (being) middle of the road we
become an elite university academically
...”
Compete with Wake Forest, Duke and
Boston College, “because they’re’ all premier programs.”
Deciding if Pitino’s remarks are genuine or coach-speak baloney, is your option.
That he used his bully pulpit to mention
academic growth, be an academic rival for
Boston College and the rest, is, well,
charming.
LOUISVILLE LEAGUE HISTORY
Louisville’s membership in the Atlantic
Coast Conference is one of the most
remarkable journeys in college conference
history.
Once upon a time Coach Peck
Hickman’s Louisville’s basketball team
played Western Kentucky for the Ohio
Valley Conference championship. That
was 55 years ago. The Hilltoppers won.
Home and home regulars on U of L’s
schedule in those days: Kentucky
Wesleyan, Morehead, Murray, Eastern and
Western Kentucky (and no UK). The football program was weak and women’s basketball non-existent.
• 1963-1974, Louisville belonged to
the Missouri Valley Conference.
• 1975-2005, Metro Conference and
Conference USA
• 2005-2012, Big East.
• 2013 American Athletic.
see ACC page B8
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