STUDENT MISCREANTS: A POSITIVE DIRECTION

Big news about a QU basketball transfer being arrested and accused of a felony. Valid reason for the interest, the editorial comment (DOB wrote a fine piece) and the reporting.

But folks, compare things now with how they used to be. When Pat Atwell became athletic director, the change was almost immediate. We stopped seeing QU athletes as regulars at the courthouse and police station. Basketball players became involved in the community (Men and Women, I might add) Football players took time with kids and pretty much stopped getting arrested for battery and disorderly conduct. The baseball team took part in Quanada's "100 men against domestic violence."

QU athletics, thanks largely to Director Atwell, Coach Terlisner and Coach Bell, have improved vastly in citizenship. Director Bell wants to be careful to preserve that hard-won integrity and he might want to be a little careful about persons coming to their third school in three years. Nonetheless, it can be said that QU athletics works in harmony with the overall community and that is a credit to the entire athletic staff.

Let's not lose sight of that.

THIS JUST IN......

....Mark McGwire will become the Cardinals batting coach next year.

In a related story, the Cardinals have taken down their "Help Wanted" ad for a "Holistic Pharmacist and Herbalist".

WHEN MOCKERY IS GOOD

This is verbatim from a few years ago. This Mock Trial Competition is some great stuff. I wish the tourism folks would measure it's economic impact and those of us who support it to any degree could promote spectators a bit more. It's a seriously interesting spectator sport.


.......We were overrun by bright, hard-working, earnest and very prepared young people representing numerous colleges and universities throughout the Midwest in Mock Trial Competition. I don't know what the economic impact was on the community but I can tell you it made for great spectator sport and really restored one's faith in the youth of America. These kids, whether they choose to be trial lawyers or use the advocacy experience for something else, are going places!

My only quibble is that there should be more General Public publicity for this event because I think some area citizens would really enjoy watching at least part of it.

BTW, it is a team sport, which makes it even more cool. I even saw one team break a huddle like we used to do in football.

A shout-out from the Basin to AMTA and the local committee who put this puppy together. It was something!

FURTHER PROOF THE SUN DOESN'T SHINE ON THE SAME DOG'S TAIL EVERY DAY

Once one of the most powerful men in Illinois, even before he knew "Cairo" from "Carmi" or could pull Mattoon off of a pin map. Now this

REPORTER PRIVILEGE, ACADEMIC PRIVILEGE OR NO PRIVILEGE

This

is interesting.

Who's right? Does it matter what the S/A's motive is?

RACHEL, JAMIE, STEPHANIE PART TWO

Rachel started out day two five shots behind. She chased down an excellent player on a course familiar to that player. In the wind and on shiny greens, a short scoring putt eluded her. There is no player alive who has not had that happen, especially in the wind and on shiny Autumn greens.

Players play. For 36 maddening holes, Rachel was a player. If she lipped out the same putt on 4 or 11 it doesn't even make the paper. The story is her valiant charge falls one short. Maybe she wasn't the Champion but she was certainly a winner, in every sense of the word. (In contrast, the first round leader, Freshman from Somonauk, is cruising coming into the dreaded 15th and tosses up a snowman, still has a lead and doubles the 18th. That's a heartbreak. The good news is she's a freshman. I'm guessing we'll be hearing more from her, as well.)

Jamie shot lower on day two than day one. That is always a good recipe. She's a freshman whose parents are both good players. Look for good things there. I'm already worried about the cumulative effect of her playing in three more state tournaments upon her father's nervous system.

Stephanie must be one tough cookie. She had a train wreck on one hole on day one. She rallied back and represented her school very well. If you stick a double bogey in where her train wreck occurred, she passes about ten more people. Some days you get the bear and some days he gets you. She's a credit to her school and her coach, who I understand also happens to be her father. They should both be Panther proud.

AMERICANS I'D LIKE TO MEET

Emma Talley's parents.

They raised a daughter who not only has character but demonstrated why competitive golf is so different from other sports.

Kid's a credit to her school, her sport, her state and the people who raised her.

RACHEL, JAMIE AND STEPHANIE AND THE GOLF CONDITIONS FROM HELL

IHSA tourney being played in Carterville (deep south). The golf course, on a nice day in June, is not difficult. Some these girls could go around there in the 60's. The conditions must be horrible (which is usually the case in the fall season--Golf was formerly a Spring Sport in Illinois). One contestant in the 70's. Countless people put up 10's on the 15 hole (no doubt they couldn't feel their fingers by then.)

Stephanie Gauldin, Rachel Powers and Jamie Ehrhardt gave good accounts of themselves. Especially encouraging were Rachel's numbers on the closing holes, even par. Stephanie had one big number and was pretty steady otherwise. Jamie, a freshman, held it together even after two "others" popped up on her card back to back.

Tournament golf doesn't build character. It reveals it. These area girls are showing plenty of it in miserable conditions.

[Bloghost comment: They now play the sectionals the day after the Columbus day holiday. I've never understood why they couldn't play the Sectionals the Thursday before Columbus day, then play the state tourney Columbus Day and the Tuesday after it. Usually that would buy you some sunshine. This year, admittedly, that day would have been miserable as well.}

RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT UNITY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL NEWS

(There is irony and unfortunate decision making that cries out for comment. That should not eclipse your humble bloghost's admiration for the administration of the Unity System, particularly their estimable Superintendent. Comments below, notwithstanding, the citizens of North Adams County are well represented on their board and in their Superintendent's Office.)

DCFS investigations are confidential as far as DCFS is concerned. That means the only way this is out in public is because the complaining Daddy went to the press--earning himself the Cheeseball of the Week award.

Perhaps the won-loss record of The Mustangs is not improving but it seems an upgrade that the new coach is being investigated for taking his own shirt off and not removing pants from a female student.

Maybe this coach's problem is timing. Save the "run-through-a-wall" speech for a six to nothing half time game with East Cupcake instead of an already fifty-zip beatdown from CSE. Guess it kinda worked, though. Unity "held" CSE to only 27 points in the second half.

The folks at Unity are in touch with the kids. If there is a coach who is shark-jumping, the parents and the board will take care of it due course. If the complainant's a disgruntled sports parent, they'll know that, too. I guess you either believe in community schools or you don't.

HEALTH CARE INFO BLITZ

What if we had a discussion about Health Insurance that just had two topics: What does it cover; and What are the premiums (no matter who is paying them)?

That would be kind of a good place to start.

I mean, the conversation would still end up "That's Socialism!" and "You're a heard-hearted baby-killing, family bankrupting smugball!" But at least we could start with a business model.

Just sayin....

YARDS RUSHING--SHUT UP, AL SHARPTON

So Rush Limbaugh wants to be a limited partner in an ownership group for the Rams.

What's the problem with that? Would we prefer to have St. Louis become only the second city in History to have lost TWO NFL teams to relocation?

FOR THOSE OF YOU SCORING AT HOME...

Person Details--Look at how steady these splits are! A Boston Qualifier. Not bad for a renegade English teacher.

Person
Name	Palmer, Christopher (USA)
BIB	7636
Div	30-34

Split	Time
START TIME	07:31:23
05K	00:22:10
10K	00:43:56
15K	01:06:10
20K	01:28:41
HALF	01:33:35
25K	01:51:04
30K	02:13:29
35K	02:36:03
40K	02:59:13

Total
Place (total)	1422
Place (Gender)	1279
Place (Div)	246
Total (Net)	03:09:24
Total (Gun)	03:10:53

OK TO WINTERIZE THE CHARLES RIVER BOATS NOW

Memo to Terry Francona: Don't intentionally walk a good player to get to a Hall of Famer.

Memo to Jim Hendry: Why sign Bobby Abreu for about four million for one year when you have a shot at Milton Bradley for three interminable years for the GDP of Paraguay?

HAVING A GUN, JUST IN "CASE"

I guess the next "case" will have to decide whether this is retroactive in nature. This is a big deal.


news article

Link to decision

ILLINOIS ACTUALLY DOES SOMETHING RIGHT!

Lots of gov'ts say they fight gender bias in employee compensation. Illinois actually does. Click where indicated and you'll find one thing Blago actually did as promised and the Reviewing Courts have upheld.

Way to go, Boys and Girls!

IT'S NOT CYANIDE IN THE TYLENOL, BUT IT'S A START

Click here for Microsoft's version

THE NFL...

.....is where coaches go to prepare to coach in the SEC.

WHAT IF WE HAD SUBTRACTED OPRAH AND ADDED ALI

I meant the Champ, not Saadia. Of course, she'd have knocked their knee socks off with some iambic pentameter (didn't that used to be an Olympic event?). But I digress.

Truly, I don't know what to make of it. I get Rio...Great argument...First time in South America...Nude Beach Volleyball as a demonstration sport.

I don't get Chicago getting the first black ball. Tokyo's bid was lame. You got the idea they almost hoped they didn't get it. Madrid will be great someday but better if it is not a cult of personality. But Chicago is beyond a world class city. The rowing events venue needed work but everything else was solid.

You almost have to feel we're still paying the price for being the "go it alone" state. Maybe there's a pinch of "You have dissenters. We don't have dissenters at the Olympics. We remember the riots of 1968. Chicago is a scary place."

This, of course, will drive my GOP friends totally batpoop but you have to give BHO more credit for going now that you know it wasn't precooked. The guy actually took a chance, rolled the dice to get the Olympic games to his home country and home state. Hell, I'm pretty sure Abraham Lincoln didn't go to Copenhagen and he was very cool...and a wrestler...including in Beardstown...Maybe that's next for BHO...wrestling in Beardstown.