IN THIS ISSUE:

FRONT ROW

Youth- and School-Based Sports:
    • Idea of the Month: Sportsmanship Scholarships
    • Open Letter to Athletes’ Parents
Collegiate Sports:
    • Belay That Talk About Me Mascot, Ye Scurvy Dog!
    • At Least Somebody at Florida International’s Got Chutzpah
Professional Sports: New Milton Bradley Game
Jocks Behaving Badly:
    • It’s Not Easy – Or Employable – Being Green
    • Jack Cochran Switches to Baseball – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Jocks Behaving Exceptionally:
    • Georgia Radio Station Gives Listeners an Earful – of Sportsmanship
    • We Dare Anyone to Argue Why Cloning Aaron Curry Would Be a Bad Idea
    • Or Dikembe Mutombo for That Matter
    • Note to Abusive Soccer Parents in Maryland: Bring Binoculars
    

SIDELINES

Announcements
Feedback
Trivia Test: Bad Sportsmanship or Part of the Game?
Sportsmanship User’s Guide: Is Your Team Amateur or Professional?
You Make the Call: Should Pirate Mascots Be Banned?
Principle of the Month: Treat the Game and Opponents With Respect
Say What?
Trivia Test Answer
Michael Josephson Commentary: A Great Pitcher or a Bad Hitter?

FRONT ROW

YOUTH- AND SCHOOL-BASED SPORTS

Idea of the Month:
Sportsmanship Scholarships

The Keota Athletic Booster Club in Keota, Iowa, will award two scholarships to a male and female senior athlete from Keota High School this year. What’s unusual is that they won’t be for athletic prowess but for sportsmanship.

Candidates must write a sportsmanship essay, commit to a four-year college or vocational/trade school, and demonstrate that they were admirable competitors and good sports. Their teams’ win-loss records and standings will play no part in the awarding of the scholarships.

[sigourneynewsreview.com, 4/15/09]

Open Letter to Athletes’ Parents

We were inspired by the following letter (condensed here) by The Sports Mama, an Arizona working mother who writes about parenting and sports:

Hi. I’m the coach’s wife. I’m the woman who is married to the man who spends no less than 20 hours a week volunteering his time so your child can experience something more of the sport than simply playing catch with you in the backyard when you have a few minutes.

I’m the woman who is the mother of one of those kids. One of those kids who might be more talented than your child or might be struggling. One of those kids who has other issues that might dictate occasional behaviors you may witness and who relies on positive feedback and reinforcement to encourage him to improve himself, his behaviors, and his athletic abilities. I’m the mother who tries to teach her child good sportsmanship and that winning is not the only goal.

I’m also the woman who stands behind the stands at each game listening to you. Who hears you belittle the kids on the field, criticize every decision the coach makes, and make negative personal comments about certain individuals. Who reads the e-mails you send attacking my child without knowing him. Who wonders how you can feel qualified in anything you are saying when you are never at a practice and only at games.

Parents, your child is not even in middle school yet, so to them it is still just a game. Why are you not taking the time now – when it counts and will stay with them – to teach them the value of good sportsmanship? Of teamwork? Of not believing that they are the superstar and that everything revolves around them?

Teach your children that coaches are volunteering their time and should be respected. That officials are human and make mistakes. And that the ultimate goal is not to win but to walk off the field knowing you gave your absolute best.

[youdonthavetolikeme.blogspot.com, 4/19/09]

COLLEGIATE SPORTS

Belay That Talk About Me Mascot,
Ye Scurvy Dog!

The winds have changed, lads. Fer years all the scuttlebutt’s been about racist Injun mascots. Nothin’ bout us sea dogs. But thanks to a handful o’ bloody bilge rats plunderin’ the Somalia coast, the eyeglass has turned on those who proudly fly the Jolly Roger. Blimey!

And it didn’t help when some scallywag on the Web updated East Carolina University’s grinning buccaneer and cutlass with, shiver me timbers, a turbaned Muslim and AK-47! We used to have swash on our buckles, mateys. Now it’s real blood. Scupper the parrot mascots. They ain’t cool no more.

Aye, they’ve run a shot across our bow, they have. If East Carolina surrenders to these rapscallion protesters, we’ll have to move smartly, me hearties, and dig up all the doubloons we buried to put Navy on their schedule. That’ll make ‘em heave to. If not, we’ll all be feedin’ the fishes by sundown. Aarrrrr!

[deadspin.com, 4/16/09]

At Least Somebody at Florida International’s Got Chutzpah

Many were dismayed last month when Florida International University hired disgraced former New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas.

Not only does Thomas have no experience coaching or recruiting in college basketball, he was a disaster in and out of the front office in the pros. He pulled a conference champion down to .500 and three straight first-round playoff defeats, was accused of racism, and lost an $11 million harassment lawsuit.

“Florida International stinks at basketball, so I guess they figured – if we're going to stink we might as well leave a spectacular stench,” wrote Dashiell Bennett of Deadspin.com.

One of the loudest voices of protest was from Laurie Shrage, FIU’s director of women’s studies, who announced that her department would organize a teach-in on harassment and discrimination and declared she would personally hand-deliver the university’s harassment policy to Thomas.

The university’s reaction was swift: 1) Thomas will undergo the same training on the harassment policy as all other executives and supervisors, 2) several related events will be added to the fall calendar, and 3) any attempt by Shrage to “hand-deliver” the policy to Thomas could violate Thomas’s right to work “in an environment free of hostility.”

Too bad. We would like to have seen Shrage and Thomas go one-on-one. Nevertheless, that didn’t dissuade her from getting in the last shot. Thomas’s tenure, she believes, will hinge on whether he learns from his past mistakes. “He has to set the tone and be a different kind of role model than he’s been,” she told The New York Times. “I don’t think anyone can say, until we see how he behaves, whether it was a good or a bad decision.”

[nytimes.com, 4/17/09; prawfsblawg.blogs.com, 4/18/09]

PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

New Milton Bradley Game

Several Milton Bradley board games could aptly describe baseball’s volatile outfielder Milton Bradley: Headache, Trouble, Shenanigans.

Bradley’s legendary temper tantrums, including rushing the press box to fight a broadcaster, have probably contributed to his short tenures at every ballclub he’s been on – seven teams in ten years. This year he joined the Chicago Cubs, whose Wrigley Field boo-birds are notorious for not only heckling but racially taunting.

“People are going to do what they’re going to do,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times before his first home game. “But whatever reaction I get, it’s not going to change anything I do. I really think I’ve outgrown it,” referring to his penchant for angry outbursts.

On opening day, after taking a called third strike with the bases loaded and the score tied at 4-4, Bradley exploded at umpire Larry Vanover and was promptly tossed.

We hope the team had the foresight to prepare for that eventuality by providing an appropriate Milton Bradley game to amuse himself with in the locker room – Bonkers.

[Chicago Sun-Times, 4/15/09; deadspin.com, 4/15, 4/16/09]

JOCKS BEHAVING BADLY

It’s Not Easy – Or Employable –
Being Green

You’re the new girls soccer coach and want to introduce your coaching philosophy to the parents of the 6- and 7-year-olds. Hint: Don’t send an e-mail like this, which Michael Kinahan of Scituate, Massachusetts, did:

Team 7 will be called Green Death. I expect 110% at every game and practice. We do not cater to superstars but prefer the gritty determination of journeymen who bring their lunch pail to work every week, chase every ball, and dig in corners like a Michael Vick pit bull.

Winning is fun and losing is for losers. While we may not win every game (excuse me, I just got a little nauseated), I expect us to fight for every loose ball and play every shift as if it were the finals of the World Cup.

While I spent a good Saturday morning listening to the legal-liability BS, which included a 30-minute dissertation on how we need to baby the kids and especially the refs, I was disgusted. Kids will run, fall, get bruises, and bleed a little. Big deal, it's good for them (but I do hope the other team is the one bleeding).

My heckling of the refs is helping them develop as people. If the refs can't handle a little criticism, they should turn in their whistle. The political correctness police are not welcome on my sidelines.

America's youth is becoming fat, lazy, and non-competitive because competition is viewed as bad. Competition is good and important to the evolution of our species and our survival in what has become an increasingly competitive global economy and dangerous world. Do you go to a job interview and not care about winning? Don't animals eat what they kill?

Then he added this note to parents:

Resist the urge to become sweat-xedo-wearing yuppies who sit on the sidelines in your LL Bean chairs sipping mocha-latte-half-caf-chinos while discussing reality TV and home decorating with other feeble-minded folks. I want to hear cheering. I want to hear encouragement. I want to get the team pumped up and know they are playing for something. Who’s with me? Go Green Death!

Apparently, not many were. After protests from parents and the Scituate Soccer Board, Kinahan resigned before the season started. One reader of the Quincy Patriot Ledger summed it up best:

Too bad these girls will have their coach replaced by some Starbucks-sipping, Land Rover-driving parent with no love and/or knowledge of the game. But on the bright side, everyone will get a trophy and there will be oranges for all during timeouts. I’d let my daughter play for this man in a heartbeat.

[deadspin.com, 3/31/09]

Jack Cochran Switches to Baseball – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

The last we heard about Connecticut high school football coach Jack Cochran, winner of four state titles at Bloomfield, three at New Britain, and one at New London, was in 2006 when he allegedly punched a rival football coach. He resigned after the incident but was reinstated.

Earlier, he had left New Britain for “completely unacceptable” fundraising practices. And his notoriety for running up scores over the years led to “the Cochran Rule” that penalizes any coach in the state who wins by more than 50 points.

Cochran’s latest scrape at New London was his last. Coaching both the football and baseball squads last year, he broke a Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference rule against out-of-season baseball practices. He agreed to step down as baseball coach in hopes that the conference wouldn’t sanction the baseball program. He misjudged. The school was fined and put on one-year probation. That was it for school Superintendent Christopher Clouet, who fired Cochran from the football program as well.

More than 70 students walked out of classes to protest his firing. Clouet suspended them all. Cochran is appealing the dismissal, claiming Clouet promised him his baseball resignation would not affect his status as football coach. Clouet denies the allegation.

Here’s an idea, Connecticut: How about just a “No Cochran Rule”?

[theoriginalgreenwichdiva.com, 3/24/09; www.courant.com, 4/14, 4/15, 4/17/09]

JOCKS BEHAVING EXCEPTIONALLY

Georgia Radio Station Gives Listeners
an Earful – of Sportsmanship

Radio listeners have heard just about everything since talk radio first hit the airwaves in the mid-1940s and sports talk shows debuted in the mid-1960s. But we’re willing to bet that not many, if any, ever listened to sportsmanship talk radio.

Well, now they can. “Victory in Sports” runs each Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the Christian station WTTI-AM 1530 in Dalton, Georgia.

Station manager Troy Hall was anything but enthusiastic when Stephen Roberts, Rodney Boyd, and Bryan Rodgers pitched their idea for a sports talk show on the religious station – until he heard what they had in mind. Instead of the standard shock-jock formula (attitude, controversy, locker-room humor), the trio proposed a faith-based sports show that would focus on sportsmanship, character, and community.

So far, ad sales have been “decent, but could be better” and about a half dozen listeners call in per show, not a promising number. But they may be on to something.

Brian Williams of NBC’s Nightly News and Anderson Cooper of CNN’s AC360 recently asked their audiences to send in stories about people doing good things in their communities. “Victory in Sports” could be a start.

[thoroughlyandersoncooper.blogspot.com, 3/6/09; daltondailycitizen.com, 3/28/09; ac360.blogs.cnn.com, 4/16/09]

We Dare Anyone to Argue Why Cloning Aaron Curry Would Be a Bad Idea

One day after youth football practice in Madison, Alabama, in October 2007, Bryson Merriweather, then 10, felt a pain in his chest and couldn’t catch his breath. He thought he might have asthma. It was acute myeloid leukemia. He was rushed by ambulance four hours away to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Merriweather is in remission now, is running track this spring, and hopes to resume football in the fall. But according to statistics, he has a 30 to 40 percent chance of relapse, and at first no bone marrow matches existed in case he needed a transplant.

His parents, thinking long-term, decided to have another child. Recently his mother Becky gave birth to Bryan, who miraculously is a bone-marrow match for Bryson. Merriweather has since become active in his community, leading bone-marrow drives and fundraisers for St. Jude.

Fast-forward to last month. Sports agent Andy Ross, after hearing Merriweather’s story, told one of his clients about it. His client was Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry, who was about to head to New York as one of the top prospects in the NFL Draft. Curry, whose own life was marred by difficult challenges, including homelessness, asked to tour St. Jude and meet the boy.

When he met the wide-eyed 12-year-old, Curry asked him to give him a tour of the hospital. Afterward, they tossed a football around, talked about the upcoming draft, and then Curry invited the boy and his father to go with him to New York for the ceremony.

On April 25, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called Curry’s name as the 4th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft going to the Seattle Seahawks. Curry broke down at the presentation for finally “getting to the mountaintop.” (View his uplifting press conference here.)

“It renewed our faith,” Merriweather’s father Ace said afterward. “Maybe one day we’ll be at the Draft inviting somebody.”

[si.com, 4/14/09]

Or Dikembe Mutombo for That Matter

The oldest player in the NBA at 42, Dikembe Mutombo of the Houston Rockets announced earlier in the year that this would be his last season. Unfortunately, tearing a tendon in his knee in the first playoff series with the Portland TrailBlazers wasn’t how he’d planned to do it.

Nevertheless, less than 48 hours later, he was all smiles when he accepted the J. Walker Kennedy Citizenship Award from the Professional Basketball Writer’s Association – the first player to win it twice.

It’s not the first award he’s won. In 2007 he was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame, and in 1999 was honored with the President’s Service Award, the nation’s highest honor for volunteer service.

Mutombo has worked for more than a decade to build the $29 million Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital and Research Center in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, personally donating $19 million himself.

“What Deke did personally in building that hospital is a tribute to him,” said Rockets owner Les Alexander at the Kennedy award presentation. “How many people in our lifetime will we meet who by his age will have contributed so much to society? He’s a rare person.”

[chron.com, 4/23/09]

Note to Abusive Soccer Parents in Maryland: Bring Binoculars

Kudos to the Washington Area Girls Soccer League in Maryland for penalizing soccer parents’ misbehavior in a unique way: They’re banished 100 yards away. “Can you hear me now?” No. Perfect.

It all started last season when a parent from Bethesda’s Legacy team rushed the referee after an offside call. Another screamed at the ref’s daughter, “Your father should be fired!”

The league’s disciplinary committee ruled that all the Bethesda parents had violated the league’s code of conduct and ruled they could not be on the sidelines for the first two games this season.

The new conduct policy is one of the nation’s toughest. Coaches as well as players can receive yellow or red cards for unsportsmanlike conduct. Many must appear before disciplinary hearings. Each team has a sportsmanship liaison to control parents. The league used to fine parents for misconduct, but the adults simply wrote them a check and continued their abuse.

So last month, when Bethesda’s Legacy played Montgomery Soccer Club’s Xcel at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, the Montgomery parents cheered from the sidelines in their beach chairs while the Bethesda miscreants strained through binocular lenses to catch the action from atop a nearby hill.

Bethesda parent Elisa Chetrit said, “We’ve got to shut up and keep going. You can’t let those things get to you.”

Another parent, Philip Page, called the banishment “very maddening. We accepted our punishment, and we’re abiding by it. One of the functions of sports is to teach sportsmanship. When we as parents violate that, the girls need to see there are consequences to those actions.”

[washingtonpost.com, 4/21/09]

Inspire Everyone With This Powerful Message Boldly communicate what your athletic program stands for with our "On and Off the Field, Your CHARACTER COUNTS!" vinyl banners. They're large (3' x 5') and long-lasting and can be personalized with the name of your school or organization. Help promote good sportsmanship year-round. $149 including grommets for hanging. To order this or any other personalized sportsmanship poster or banner, call (800) 711-2670. Archives of Past Issues 2009 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 FREE E-NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE CHARACTER COUNTS! Chronicle (monthly character-education topics) Commentary (weekly character essays by Michael Josephson) Pursuing Victory With Honor (monthly sportsmanship topics) ANNOUNCEMENTS Hazing Study Finds It's Getting More Dangerous In a major study of high school hazing, University of Maine professors Elizabeth Allan and Mary Madden found that the practice has become more dangerous, more destructive, more brutal, and more lewd. What’s worse, the practice is starting to push down into middle schools. The researchers had previously conducted the largest college hazing study to date of more than 11,000 students at 53 colleges and universities. For the high school study, they tapped the same participants and asked what happened to them prior to college. Among their findings: 47 percent reported getting hazed in high school and the highest rate occurred among members of sports teams (47 percent). Elliot Hopkins of the National Federation of State High School Associations was particularly alarmed at the increasingly indecent nature of the incidents including cheerleaders being forced to undress and shave in front of their peers or boys and girls being forced to simulate crude acts. Allan and Madden were also disturbed to learn that school administrators often downgrade hazing incidents by saying, “Isn’t that the same as bullying?” The two have little in common. Hazers admire their victims and want them in their group. Bullies despise their victims and want nothing to do with them. “It indicates the amount of education that’s needed all around,” said Madden. Do you have a hazing problem? Our one-day customized sportsmanship workshops can come to your school and address any specific issue you have. Read more here. [Associated Press, 4/15/09] Pursuing Victory With Honor Seminars Our two-day sportsmanship seminars help coaches, athletic directors, and officials cultivate strong character in young athletes. This year’s sessions will be in Philadelphia (June 22-23), the Chicago area (July 9-10), and Los Angeles (August 3-4). Call 800-711-2670 or go here for more information. Congrats to CHARACTER COUNTS! Iowans: Shawn Johnson & Jim Hallihan Last month was hectic for Shawn Johnson, the 17-year-old Olympic gold gymnast turned-showbiz-star. First she flew to New York’s historic Athletic Club to accept the 79th AAU Sullivan Award as the nation’s outstanding amateur athlete in 2008. The award goes to the individual who best exemplifies athletic accomplishment, leadership, character, and sportsmanship. Her next stop was to her hometown of Iowa where CHARACTER COUNTS! presented her with the Robert D. Ray Pillar of Character Award for being an exemplary role model throughout her career. Lastly she returned to Los Angeles where she and partner Mark Ballas scored a perfect 10 on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” Go Shawn! Jim Hallihan, a member of the Board of Directors of CHARACTER COUNTS! In Iowa, was awarded the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Sportsmanship Award in Des Moines in March. Hallihan also serves on the Board of the Institute for Character Development and hosted a radio show “Sports for the Right Reasons.” Go Jim! John Wooden/Michael Josephson Video on YouTube In 2004, the fabled coach sat down with Michael Josephson, and the two discussed the ideals of sports, what makes a real winner, and how to live with honor. Now, for the first time, you can see it on YouTube. View it here. How Character Can Change a Community In a January 2003 memo to the Elmhurst, Illinois, mayor and city council, city manager Tom Borchert indicated that there was considerable and widespread governmental, institutional, faith community, and nonprofit enthusiasm for CHARACTER COUNTS! to become a city-wide initiative. Since then, “Character Counts IN Elmhurst” has become a mantra permeating the schools, sports, park district, YMCA, police, service clubs, youth groups, businesses, and residents. Elmhurst recently debuted an uplifting video touting its Pursuing Victory With Honor program with testimonials by teachers, coaches, parents, community leaders, students, and the sports director of WGN-TV in Chicago. If you want to see how sportsmanship can affect an entire community, check it out here. FEEDBACK As a former WTA Tour player and current employee of a Parks & Recreation Department that infuses the CC! philosophy into our volunteer program, I applaud you for including the recent events surrounding Israeli Tour players Shahar Peer and Andy Ram (“WTA Volleys Dubai’s Backhanded Excuse,” April 2009). Your article focused attention on the unfortunate situation regarding Dubai’s stance toward both players. I heartily commend you for educating your readers on the swift action taken by the WTA and top players toward such inexcusable behavior toward Tour athletes. Your article proved that character does count and that unfair treatment in all levels of sports does have severe consequences. Lessons learned do not always come in the form of a less plan or manual. This particular article showcased the amazing example of how the Six Pillars of Character were in play when dealing with an unfortunate and negative situation in sports. The beauty of sports is that it can truly transcend politics while encouraging the human spirit…if only given the chance. Bravo to everyone who practices the phrase “Character Counts!” Shawna Levins

	TRIVIA TEST
Bad Sportsmanship or Part of the Game? Situation 1: A batter pops up in the infield. As she runs to first, she shouts “I got it!” to the infielder about to make the catch. Bad sportsmanship or part of the game? Situation 2: A ball is hit well over an outfielder’s head and is uncatchable. Trying to freeze the runner(s), he acts like he’s going to catch it. Bad sportsmanship or part of the game? See the answer below.
	SPORTSMANSHIP USER’S GUIDE
Is Your Team Amateur or Professional? We love Coach Mike’s youth soccer blog “On the Pitch.” In a recent article, Mike (aka Soccer Dad) lamented a rough weekend for his girl’s team, which prompted one parent to say: “The team we played was professional. We were amateurs.” The parent wasn’t talking about athletic skills; he was referring to how they carried themselves and treated each other. “It got me thinking about the little things that can go a long way toward instilling a sense of professionalism in your soccer team,” Mike wrote. Here are his suggestions for players:     • When you line up for equipment check, have your jersey tucked in, stand straight and still, place your hands behind your back, and say “No, sir” or “No, ma’am” when asked if you have any questions.     • If your league requires pass checks, show your jersey as your name is called and walk behind the referees. Stand arm in arm until the entire team is together.     • If an opposing player gets hurt and play stops, give their team possession on the restart. If they kicked it out of bounds, throw long toward their goal and allow their defense to possess it. If it’s a drop ball in their end, let their player take the ball. This shows an amazing amount of class and teaches great sportsmanship.     • When you make a mistake on the field, say “My bad!” If you score off a nice pass/cross, thank whoever gave the assist.     • If you take an opponent down and play stops, extend a hand and help the player up.     • Shake hands with the opponents afterward – and mean it. Kids don’t understand how their emotions can bleed through (slapping hands harder, sneering, etc.) when they lose.     • Thank the referee crew personally afterward. Classy.     • Run over to your parents’ sideline and applaud afterward or link up arm and arm and bow. Hard to do after a loss, but it can help perk you up. [onthepitch.org, 3/24/09]
	YOU MAKE THE CALL
Should Pirate Mascots Be Banned? With mounting fears that ransom booty from pirate hijackings is filling the coffers of crime syndicates and Islamist terrorists, should the NCAA add pirate mascots to its list of “hostile and abusive racial/ethnic/national origin mascots, nicknames, or imagery”? Yes. No. I'm not sure. Click here to vote Results of Last Month’s Poll Should a country facing potential violence stemming from a particular athlete’s politics, ethnicity, religion, or other reason be allowed to deny that athlete a visa? Yes. 19% No. 51% It depends on the case. 29% I'm not sure. 1%
	PRINCIPLE OF THE MONTH
Principle Eleven: Treat the Game and Opponents With Respect In December 2000, a Premier League soccer match between West Ham and Everton was 1-1 and drifting into injury time when West Ham’s Paolo de Canio got a perfect cross in front of the goal. Just as he was about to head the ball into the net, he noticed goalkeeper Paul Gerrard lying on the ground in pain. Now he had an empty goal. To the shock of the crowd, Canio caught the ball instead, not wanting to win that way. The game ended in a tie. Principle Eleven of the Arizona Sports Summit Accord states that “Everyone involved in athletic competition has a duty to treat the traditions of the sport and other participants with respect.” Nearly 50 influential leaders in sports issued the Arizona Sports Summit Accord in 1999 to encourage greater emphasis on the ethical and character-building aspects of athletic competition. Read the full text here.
	SAY WHAT?
“I’m always going to remember that. If I beat a team, as happy as I may be in victory, I’m always going to stay humble and remember that there’s another day. Those are great motivational thoughts for me.” – Boston Celtic guard Ray Allen on Cleveland Cavalier players dancing and mugging for TV cameras after their final season rout of the Celtics “We’re all professionals. If you take it as disrespectful, then you got to do something about it.” – Cleveland Cavalier forward Lebron James responding to Ray Allen’s comment “Playoff hockey is not exactly hockey. It is hockey’s older, snarling brother who just got out of prison.” – John Keating of Fox Sports Detroit “Lemieux is associated with sportsmanship the same way Bernie Madoff is associated with business ethics.” – Ryan Garner of Hockeybuzz.com on Claude Lemieux being nominated for the NHL’s Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy “I’m all about yak team wahed. It means ‘one team together.’ Plus, the ANA (Afghan national army) gets a huge kick out of the fact that they can kick our butts.” – Afghan Regional Security Integration Command West commander Colonel John Bessler on the multinational soccer tournament at Camp Zafar, Afghanistan, to promote sportsmanship and a common ground for people to compete equally. ~ Classic From the Past ~ “Stevie Wonder could make one of 23 shots.” – Charles Barkley after North Carolina missed 22 of its last 23 shots in its loss to Georgetown in the 2007 NCAA basketball tournament
	TRIVIA TEST ANSWER
Situation 1: Not only is it bad sportsmanship, it’s illegal interference (Rule 2-21-1, National Federation of State High School Associations; Rule 2.00, Little League; Rule 7.08b, Major League Baseball). Any runner is out when he or she intentionally interferes with a thrown ball or hinders a fielder attempting to make a play on a batted ball. It’s also bad sportsmanship because when the fielder’s looking up to catch a ball, she can’t see who else also might be running to get it. So when the batter shouts “I got it!” the fielder has to back off to avoid a possible collision and injury. Situation 2: It’s part of the game. In this case, any runners on base can see the fielder and ball and aren’t in danger of being injured by the outfielder's trickery. [answers.yahoo.com]
	MICHAEL JOSEPHSON’S COMMENTARY
A Great Pitcher or a Bad Hitter? When Ron gave his 7-year-old son Nick his first ball and bat, Nick wanted to play immediately. Ron said, “Son, baseball’s a serious game. You have to practice before you can play well.” The boy went outside and began throwing the ball high in the air and swinging at it over and over. After an hour, he came in and said, “Dad, can we play now?” Ron followed him outside and said, “Okay, show me what you can do.” Nick tossed the ball above him, took a mighty swing, and missed. “Strike one,” he said enthusiastically. He did it again and missed again. “Strike two!” Ron said, “Concentrate, Son. Remember, three strikes and you’re out.” The boy tossed the ball a third time and swung so hard he fell to the ground after hitting nothing but air. Ron winced, but Nick had a triumphant grin. “Why are you happy?” Ron asked. “‘Cause I’m great at pitching!” You have to love Nick’s attitude. He may not turn out to be a good hitter, but he’s likely to lead a happy life. What’s more, he’ll probably bring warmth and cheer into the lives of others because an attitude like his is contagious. Pessimists might think people like Nick delude themselves by looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. Yet Nick’s world is just as he sees it. His decision to view himself as a successful pitcher instead of a bad hitter will not only make him happier, it may even contribute to his success. It’s not easy, but if we develop the wisdom to treat frustrations and failures as empowering experiences and generate the strength to let go of self-destructive resentments and grudges, our lives will be filled with a lot more sunshine. This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts. For an archive of Mr. Josephson’s commentaries, click here. To receive free weekly e-mail, including all five of Mr. Josephson’s commentaries from that week, please sign up here.
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