High school sports: A privilege, not a right

I just finished reading a story about a 19-year-old Ohio man who was facing an eight-year sentence for felony assault. The judge, however, ruled that he didn't have to go to jail, but he could no longer participate in athletics of any kind. He had to serve 180 days, perform 500 hours of community service (where he could help Special Olympians or coach youth football) and pay a $500 fine.

There was debate on the comment section of the paper. Some felt this was a harsh sentence, and that taking away sports took away any structure in the kid's life.

I completely disagree. Clearly he had no structure to begin with. Playing sports at the high school level is not why you go to high school, and as the judge said, "We're going to see who Dwayne Hunter the person is, not who Dywane Hunter the star athlete is."

Taking away something he really cares about sends a message, and while it's a tough pill to swallow, it's a good lesson learned. High school athletics are for those who dedicate themselves to the sport. If there's one thing I hate to see in this county, be it at Tiverton or Rogers or Portsmouth or Middletown, it's kids who fail off teams, or kids who are kicked off of teams because of behavioral issues.

And what bothers me even more are kids who are allowed to stay on teams despite behavioral issues (or given a slap on the wrist). I can think of at least one example in which that has happened in the county.

Again, high school athletics are for students who want to strive on the fields and courts. Not for those who take advantage of that privilege.

In line for a Cy

Last night, I got into a little debate with a true friend about who’s going to win the Cy Young awards in the American League and National League. My choices, which I felt were pretty obvious, were Royals right-hander Zack Greinke in the AL and Giants ace Tim Lincecum in the NL. Both are up-and-coming stars who are really fun to watch (although they play for less than dominant teams).
His choices were Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera — he’s a Yankees fan — in the AL and Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals in the NL.

Here’s the breakdown.
Greinke: 13 wins, 8 losses; 2.19 earned run average (ranks No. 1 in AL); 216 strikeouts; 6 complete games with 3 shutouts; 1.067 WHIP (ranks No. 1 in AL). And keep in mind that he plays for the Royals.

Lincecum: 14 wins, 5 losses; 2.30 ERA (ranks No. 2 in the NL); 244 strikeouts (ranks No. 1 in NL); 4 complete games with 2 shutouts; 1.037 WHIP. Yes, he pitches in the inferior NL, but he’d be just as good anywhere.

Rivera: 3 wins, 2 losses; 40 saves in 41 chances; 1.66 earned run average; 64 strikeouts/11 walks; .888 WHIP. Statistically, he was better last year, when he finished fifth in the Cy Young voting.

Wainwright: 18 wins, 8 losses; leads NL with 31 games started and 212 innings pitched; 2.59 ERA; 183 strikeouts; 1 complete game, 0 shutouts; 1.212 WHIP. Has perhaps the league’s best offense behind him.

I’ll be honest, Wainwright’s numbers are better than I thought, and the Cardinals are a lock for the playoffs. But I’ll still give the nod to Lincecum, even though the Giants may not make the playoffs at this point.

In the AL, I hope voters give Greinke the benefit of the doubt. All season long he’s been outstanding despite the fact that his team has continually failed him. In 29 starts, he’s surrendered more than three runs just three times. He’s lasted at least seven innings 19 times, including his last seven starts.

What's bothering me today?

OK, every now and again, when the wide world of sports seems a bit mundane, I like to ramble about things that get under my skin, and the steps needed to correct them.

Today, it's bicyclists. Are these the single most annoying people in the world? And I'm not even talking about their skin-tight getups they wear to ride a bike. My biggest issue is the fact that they ride in the middle of the road, as if they're a car. Sure, they go pretty fast (25 or 30 if they're on a downhill), but they're not cars, and they're holding people up.

Not only that, but sometimes they obey the rules motorists have to obey, like stopping at a red light, yet sometimes the blow right through it. These guys (and girls) are outlaws who want it both ways.

I understand that most town and city budgets don't have the room to remake all the roads with bike lanes, but the cyclists in this town are unbearable. For example, I'm driving down Memorial Boulevard, and in front of me is one guy on a bike in one lane, and another on another bike in the other lane ... honestly, they're moving 25 an hour, and I'm screaming unmentionables.

Nothing is going to be done about it, and I get that. Just needed to vent a bit. Oh, and the other thing bothering me today is people who spell words differently. Two examples are: hawt and kewl. Please don't do that.

R.I. High School Football Poll - Week 1

Last week, we unveiled the preseason media poll for Rhode Island high schools, voted on by media members. It appears as though Portsmouth and Tiverton scraping by did little to drop them in the poll, and Middletown's big win wasn't enough for the Division IV Islanders to climb into the top 5. Although they did move up four spots. Rogers, meanwhile, which was receiving votes last week, has dropped completely out of the poll. (Note: There's obviously some trouble with the spacing, so to clarify, the first number is total points, the second is where the teams ranked last week. Numbers in parenthesis are first-place votes).

Team Points Last Week
1. La Salle (6) 158 1
2. Barrington (2) 154 2
3. South Kingstown 142 3
4. Cranston East 136 4
5. East Providence 123 5
6. Portsmouth 119 6
7. Middletown 98 11
8. Tiverton 82 8
9t. Westerly 76 9t
9t. West Warwick 76 13
11. Cranston West 70 NR
12. Ponaganset 59 16
13. Hendricken 58 9t
14. Johnston 56 17
15. St. Raphael 54 12
16. Woonsocket 30 14
17. Tolman 28 7
18. Mount Hope 25 NR
19. Lincoln 21 18
20t. Classical 20 NR
20t. Moses Brown 20 NR


Others receiving votes: East Greenwich (18), Toll Gate (18), Shea (16), Cumberland (11), North Kingstown (11), North Providence (2), Hope (1), Narragansett (1).

Participating publications: The Chariho Times, The Coventry Courier, The Cranston Herald, The East Greenwich Pendulum, The Narragansett Times, The Newport Daily News, The Northeast Independent, The North Kingstown Standard Times, The South County Independent, The Warwick Beacon, The Westerly Sun.

What a joke

I don't think any sane Patriots fan could argue that they had no business winning this game. But that's the nature of sports. Not that the Bills did, with their idiocy in the final minutes. Kind of an ugly game all around, to be honest.

But, it looks pretty in the standings. Not like college football, where winning can hurt you if it's not pretty enough.

One down, 18 to go ...

And my prediction of a perfect 19-0 season is still intact.

Terrible secondary

I said all along that the secondary will be the Achilles Heel for this team. Here's to hoping they can make one play.

Goofy?

Perhaps this is an inopportune time, but don't these refs look a little dorky in those uniforms?

Damn

The Bills gave this game away, and the Patriots happily accepted.
Not only that, if this touchdown stands, my fantasy chances are shot.

LET'S GO!!!

Big strip ..... Tom and the boys have three timeouts and 30 yards to go. After four Super Bowl losses, is this the fate of Buffalo?

This is why they're the Bills

What a monumentally terrible decision by Bills kick returner Leodis McKelvin. Taking the ball out of the end zone on a kickoff when you're up five points. Idiot. Thanks to his fumble, the Patriots are going to win a game they don't deserve to win.

If anyone can do it ...

The Patriots need two touchdowns in 5:32. A tall order, for sure, but I'm not sure there's an offense in the NFL you'd want more than New England's when faced with such an uphill battle.

Should be an interesting five and a half minutes.

Clock is ticking

The Bills are driving and the clock is moving. We're down to just over nine minutes left in the game and the Pats are still down 17-13.

Worried yet, Scott? If you say no, you're lying.

Fantasy note no one cares about

Going into tonight's game, I was down by about five points and my opponent has Tom Brady. I have Bills running back Fred Jackson. I'd just like to point out that, with two minutes left in the third quarter, Jackson has outperformed Brady in terms of fantasy football.

Unfortunately, I need him to do a bit more to pull off the big upset. Would it have killed Aaron Schobel to get tackled on the 1 when he intercepted Brady in the first half so Jackson could score?

17-10 Bills

The Bills just kicked a field goal and lead the Patriots 17-10 late in the third quarter. What the hell is going on?

I'm very disappointed that we haven't yet heard from Daily News executive editor Sheila Mullowney, quite possibly the only Bills fan outside the state of New York. No gloating or premature trash talking, Sheila? I know you're still technically on vacation but ... I have no way to finish that sentence. I wouldn't be blogging on my vacation, either.

Bills hangin' tough

The Bills are up 14-10 early in the second half, but I can't help but feel that there is absolutely no chance they win this game. They're playing well, and the Patriots really aren't, but still, I can't shake the feeling that this still could turn into a blowout.

We'll see what happens.

All tied up

The scoreboard still is correct, but it looks a little better for Patriots fans. Fred Taylor just dove in from a yard out and the Pats and Bills are tied at 7-7. Somewhere Scott Barrett, a Patriots fan and Florida Gators (Fred Taylor's alma mater) fan, just got a warm, happy feeling in his heart.

The scoreboard is correct

Fans turning on, or arriving late to the Patriots-Bills game tonight might be a bit confused. Rest assured, the scoreboard at Gillette Stadium, as well as the one on ESPN's broadcast, is correct. The mighty Patriots are losing to the Buffalo Bills, 7-0 at the start of the second quarter.

Strangely, the Bills haven't looked half bad, and the Patriots have struggled on offense. In particular, Tom Brady doesn't seem to be in sync with his receivers. I'm sure that will change, but the one Bills fan who might read this blog should enjoy it while she can.

Live from Foxboro

We have just more than an hour until kickoff of the Patriots' regular season opener against the Bills. Last year, the best thing about covering a Monday Night Football game was that I wouldn't have to listen to Tony Kornheiser for three hours while watching it at home. But I have high hopes for his replacement, Jon Gruden, who was pretty good during the preseason.
If only this were a Sunday night game, so I could be spared from the dreadful Cris Collinsworth. I'd almost prefer the senile John Madden.

Anyhoo, I'll be updating the blog throughout the game with hilarious/brilliant commentary, so check back often.

Why football rules

I know Boston is a Red Sox town, but Boston resides in an NFL nation. Maybe it's the time of the year, but there's no better day than opening day in the NFL. It's still nice outside, but getting a little brisk ... perfect weather for wings. I don't ever remember making a special feast for baseball's opening day.

Anyway, I watched a ton of football yesterday, and the fact that there are about 20 more weeks to go makes me a happy camper. Also, think about where Patriots fans were a year ago today, wondering if the season was a complete wash after Tom Brady's injury. Here's to hoping he's healthy all season (one that will end with another Super Bowl title).

Speaking of the Patriots, join Daily News staffer Josh Krueger before, during and after tonight's game to talk about all things New England (or Buffalo, if that's your preference).