Some sports fans are disgusted when players fight, but they really ought to appreciate its significance. When Montreal’s Nevio Pizzolitto punched Rochester’s Lenin Steenkamp in the face as they headed to the locker room during the Rhinos’ 2-0 win on August 27, it indicated passion. I don’t care whether Pizzolitto cheap-shotted Steenkamp, or Steenkamp provoked […]
Sports
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Where is the love?
During a training camp session on a sauna-like day, running back Travis Henry spots a photographer shooting pictures of him from about 40 feet away. He smiles, points, then flashes the thumbs-up sign. The 25-year-old is cheerful and relaxed, exhibiting little concern that former University of Miami superstar Willis McGahee is starting for him while […]
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I’m so happy
The mass media might make you feel as if the planet is doomed. But that’s just egotistical paranoia. Earth has been around billions of years, and I’m certain it has endured seemingly catastrophic times like ours before. Believe me, we’re nothing special. Life is the same as it ever was. Obstacles confront humanity, and people […]
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Back from the bigs
The Twins called up Red Wings shortstop Jason Bartlett on July 27 for his first big-league stint when utility infielder Nick Punto broke his clavicle. Bartlett, 24, played in two games against Anaheim but he struggled, going 0-for-5 and committing two errors. Minnesota sent him down on August 6. In Rochester, Bartlett hit .339 before […]
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Dealing with drivel
When he was interviewed by Jerome Holtzman for No Cheering in the Press Box in 1973, former Chicago Tribune sportswriter Ed Prell said, “The sportswriters today depend too much on quotes from the dressing rooms. They’ve become nothing more than messenger boys.” Thirty-one years later, they’re still messenger boys. Unfortunately, that’s what sports journalism […]
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Oh Ricky
I stood in the Bills’ locker room after a practice, sort of listening to what Ruben Brown was saying, but paying more attention to the things in his locker. The lockers have no doors, so I sometimes quickly examine them to get a glimpse into pro football players’ souls. Usually, there’s little of interest. Many […]
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Bledsoe is not today’s QB
Last week I took Secrets of an NFL Scout, a book by the late Tony Razzano, and gave you Part 1 of a scrumptious soufflé of insights into the specific qualities that make good NFL players. It focused on defense. This week, I focus on offense and examine five Bills, just in time for training […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Bledsoe is not today’s QB
Last week I took Secrets of an NFL Scout, a book by the late Tony Razzano, and gave you Part 1 of a scrumptious soufflé of insights into the specific qualities that make good NFL players. It focused on defense. This week, I focus on offense and examine five Bills, just in time for training […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Baking an NFL player
If you’re going to Bills training camp at St. John Fisher you might as well get something out of it. So, starting this week, I’m issuing scouting guides to help keep your mind occupied through all the stretching and hydrating. Now your trip will be more useful than a tube of toothpaste. This information is […]
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Forging a Frontier of their own
DC United’s Jaime Moreno stands just outside Frontier Field’s team locker rooms and looks down the tunnel where soccer players enter the stadium, in the foul territory behind home plate. His team just beat the Rhinos 2-0 in a friendly match, and Moreno is describing what it’s like to play soccer on a baseball […]
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White men can jump
“[Basketball] is a black man’s game, and it will be forever. I mean, the greatest athletes in the world are African-American.” — Larry Bird, June 2004 Joseph Graves, Jr. might as well be talking to the wall. For years, the professor of biology and African-American Studies at Arizona State and Embry-Riddle University has dismissed […]
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Kids these days
Fifteen-year-old Major League Soccer Savior Freddy Adu came to Rochester last Wednesday night as part of a friendly match that pitted his team, DC United, against the Rhinos. United won, 2-0, and Adu scored a fine mid-range goal set up by former Greece Arcadia star and United teammate Dema Kovalenko. Adu’s got that Bill […]
