The Ginger Train takes off. Lil the soccer thrill.

Hey sportsfans,

What fun. What excitement. I just wish I knew what I was watching. The Mountain Brook Spartans 6-8 grades girls lacrosse team finally got in some game action this week. Somebody, please explain the rules to me. Part soccer. Part football. Part hockey. Spin moves. Head fakes. Misdirections. All fun. All the time.



Wednesday night under the threat of rain, the green and gold took on the Hoover Bucs at their home field. For several opening minutes the two teams traded bumps, checks and barbs. At the six minute mark, from about ten feet away Olivia broke the ice in scoring with a quick wristed shot that skipped by the goalie at her ankles. Great goal. This score propelled the good guys to a 6 to 1 halftime lead. Em played midfielder and got into the action as soon as she hit the field. Mixing it up with older, bigger players, Em asserted her skills by scoring her first goal just before the first half whistle.

During the second half, Em aka "The Ginger Train" got rollin'! Our beloved redhead displayed excellent defense by checking and stealing the ball several times. She also ran as a wingman for at least three scores as she escorted teammates down the field. I should also mention that she scored two more times and assisted on three scores, as the team cruised to a 15 to 3 victory. Could not ask for a better start to the season. So much for Em beginning slowly with a new sport, huh?





During Tuesday night the Train picked up more steam as the Spartans took on a team from Vestavia Hills. Not slowing down one bit Em scored three times and assisted on two goals. The team took their second win of the season by a score of 14 to 6. Braving temps that plunged into the low 50s (oh, the horror!), various Krells, Wolneks and Nombergs endured the frigid chill. Of course, we went for ice cream after the game to celebrate. Seemed like the right thing to do.







On Sunday, cousin Lilly began her second season of soccer. Starting off in fine fashion, the Lil's Gold team pounded the Blues by a score of 1,234 to 12. I kid you not. It was awesome. Lil got several (ok, a few) touches of the ball as she sprinted(ok, slow jogged) up and down the soccer field (ok, twenty yard piece of grass) all game along (ok, 3-4 minute intervals followed by breaks for the potty, water, snacks and in-game pep talks from Dad). All in all, it was a fun time.





Did you know ???
During Jerusalem's first-ever marathon, which included 10,000 runners, the original first finisher was actually the fourth runner to finish the race. Three runners finished the half marathon finish line, as they were confused on the final turns. They ran an entire race but concluded their runs at the wrong place. This race was contested two days after a fatal bomb attack in the city. The 26.2-mile course was lined with armed soldiers and the entire event was run under fierce opposition by Palestinians and Israeli leftists. All things considered, if a simple wrong turn ended up being the biggest problem, then the event was a success.

Having a great week: The NCAA Men's Basketball Selection Committee for putting together a wonderful tourney. No Number One seeds survived, and two of the Final Four schools are not part of the Big Six major conferences. The Butler Bulldogs became the first school not from one of the Big Six to make back to back Final Four appearances in the past twenty years. Great story. Even better is Number eleven seeded Virginia Commonwealth Rams. They knocked schools from five of the Big Six on their way to the Final Four. Atlanta Braves minor-league manager Luis Salazar returned to camp Wednesday, two weeks after being struck in the face by a foul ball and losing his left eye. "I'm very fortunate to be alive," Salazar said. "God gave me a second chance in this life, and I'm going to take advantage of it." He hopes to join his Class A Lynchburg team in April near the start of the Carolina League season.

Having a not so great week: Former MLB slugger Barry Bonds is finally on trial for the BALCO and perjury mess. Does anyone care at this point? The Ohio State Buckeyes have lost once again to a SEC school in a major sporting event. Usually they lose to Florida, LSU, et al in football, but this week Kentucky took them down in the Sweet 16. Also, cannot forget that Coach Tressel will soon be gone as their football coach.

Opening Day is this Thursday. Might have to play hooky for a few hours. Doubt anyone would notice. Seriously. Time to reread "The Curious Case of Sidd Finch" written by George Plimpton. Wonderful story.

Somebody is getting older, and he's not too happy about it.
Bought your matzoh yet?
Have a great week everyone!
The Sports Guy

Peaks galore. Hoops madness. Leotards abound.

Hey sportsfans,

Four O'Clock. American. Twister. Springmeier. Eldorado. Sawmill. Columbia. Any of these names ring a bell? One hint: think ski runs at Breckenridge. Sid, Em and E. Harve' conquered these and more this past week while enjoying spring break in Colorado. I will not claim to have kept up with these expert skiers. They were impressive, especially when maneuvering through the trees. Yikes.

In addition to hitting the slopes, this crew of Knights enjoyed the mid-mountain Gold Coast Rollercoaster, tubing in Frisco, sitting 12th row for the Richmond vs. Vanderbilt NCAA tourney game at the Pepsi Center and exploring Denver's Aquarium. TSG needed to come home just to rest up from all the fun!






Speaking of hoops. For the third time in recent years the Commodores took it on the chin from a smaller but better team. In 2006, it was Siena, then Murray State and now, the University of Richmond Spiders, took down the Dores in the first round of the men's NCAA hoops tourney. The Spiders took the fight to the Dores and the Nashville hoopsters could not keep up. Blowing an 11 point lead, the Dores were out hustled, out shot and frankly, out coached by the Atlantic 10 tourney champs. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the game from great seats. Dippin Dots, cotton candy and multi-flavored ices were off-court highlights.




Did you know???About 140 college students are taking part in a Southern Collegiate Bass Fishing Series tournament on Lake Guntersville this weekend. I want in! Beautiful part of the State.

On Saturday, the girls enjoyed watching the SEC gymnastics championships held in the Magic City. Raquel, ATM and the girls cheered on the Tide as they defeated the other six schools to capture the championship title.



Having a great week:



Having a not so great week: The National Football League is quickly heading down the toilet. The NFLPA is encouraging this year's top picks to stay away from the draft that will be held in NYC next month. They'd better get their acts together asap. Billionaires fighting against millionaires. Sad for those who love / live for this sport. Michigan's 30-point toppling of Tennessee not only ended the Vols season, but may be the end of the line for Bruce Pearl. The loquacious Vols coach has been in Knoxville since 2005, but is currently in the doghouse with Tennessee Athletics Director Mike Hamilton after committing various recruiting violations and then lying to NCAA officials during an investigation. I hope someone else gives Pearl a shot. What other coach raps at a talent show with his players, puts the moves on Erin Andrews and goes shirtless in the student section during a women's basketball game? It happens every year. Traditional powerhouses get knocked off by lesser known schools. This year, Louisville were upset by Morehead State. What a great game! March Madness at its finest.








After the first eighteen games of the men's NCAA hoops tourney, only 317 brackets remained perfect out of the 5.9 million entries on the ESPN web site. Pretty remarkable. Can't say mine is one of the 317. Em predicted the Morehead State victory. Did you?



Have you read Laura Hillenbrand’s newest book about Louis Zamperini titled Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption? What a fantastic story. This book has been #1 on the NYT Bestseller list for several weeks, passing previous work Seabiscuit. Zamperini was a former Olympian who competed in the 1936 "Jesse Owen games" in Munich in front of the Nazis.

Emmy has a full slate of lax games set for next week. Now that it's spring-like in town, I'm sure we will get more cold weather soon.

How many hamantashen have you eaten? Happy Purim!
Have a great week everyone!
Opening Day is coming soon.
The Sports Guy

Hockey history. Lax is history (for the week).

Hey sportsfans,

#2 vs. #3. Avs vs. Penguins. Shore vs. Wolnek. #66 vs. #87. 35205 vs. 35244.

First round of the playoffs, Birmingham Metro Youth Hockey League at the Pelham Sports Complex. History was made this evening. Future generations will speak fondly of this game. Countless fans will claim they were in attendance for this epic battle. (Think of the 1.5 bazillion (Chas Sheen's new word for the week.) who claim to have witnessed Maris's 61st homer at Yankees Stadium.) ESPN will make this an Instant Classic. YouTube videos are being compiled as I type this recap. The Smithsonian called for copies of the film, and the Hockey Hall of Fame will want game equipment to display in recognition of this monumental accomplishment.

Okay. Okay. Enough of the buildup. Just what was so special? We witnessed what may have been the largest come from behind victory in league history. What excitement! What drama! For those of you not fortunate enough to be in attendance, let me set the stage.




The Avs sprinted out to a 5 to 1 lead in the first period. They were faster, better organized on offense and looked like a championship team. Ho hum. No big deal. With the crowd starting to leave, this game was inevitably heading for a blowout of epic proportions. Remaining in the stands were the few friends and family of lowly Penguins and the hard charging Avs. However, without warning or provocation we were then transported into a parallel universe where up is down, cats hang with dogs and Christina Aguilera sings all the words the National Anthem - a sports miracle occurred. Not the kind of miracle where Vanderbilt wins the SEC football championship, but close.

Then the second period began.





As if a new spark of life was found, the Penguins came alive. Did they ever! Down 5 to 2 late in the second period, the Penguins found the back of the goal with two quick scores. Then the onslaught began and nobody, save the ghost of Gordy Howe and Mrs. Wayne Gretzky (She was great in American Anthem, co-starring gymnast Mitch Gaylord, wasn't she? Speaking of Janet Jones-Gretzky, did you catch her in Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach, A League of Their Own or in her starring role as the phys ed teacher in the Van Halen's music video "Hot for Teacher"? Anyway, I digress. Back to the hockey action.) could have stopped these Penguins. During the final period, the 'guins smelled victory like their winged brethren at the San Diego Zoo at feeding. More krill, please! They poured in four more goals within eight minutes to close out the game. Final scoreboard read: 8 - 5. Pens win. Pens win. Pens win.

During the hurricane that was the third period, it was as if the dumbfounded Avs were just watching this game from their home couches while wearing their cold weather skivvies. They just laid down. Their once swarming defense abandoned them. They were sloppy on offense. Their spark was spunk. And the game was lost. Mouths were agape. Heads were shaking. Snickers and chuckles abound. Enough about the Penguins' parents.



Playing stellar all night, #87 Meyer battled very hard on defense as he kept the bad guys in check all game. Kudos to #66 Isaac Shore and his mates for fighting hard. This one is in the books. On the championship game. I'm exhausted.

As if a Hollywood movie script writer was in Pelham this week. Tuesday night, with seconds remaining in the championship game, the Penguins scored the game winning goal. Of course they knocked off the number one team that had not lost a game all year. It was only fitting they ended the season on such a remarkable run. Starting the season with six straight losses, the Pens completed their historic run in fine fashion. Cheers to the Penguins!



Emily's lacrosse career started off without a bang this week. While she's already decided to attend Duke on a lax scholarship, which is okay with me and several family members, I encouraged her to focus on the short terms goals for this week. While their first two games were rained out this week, the Mountain Brook Lady Spartans look to get back to playing at Rathmell Fields after spring break.

Did you know ???
Tommy John surgery. Three of the most dreaded words for any pitcher. Tommy John surgery, known as ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction, is a surgical procedure in which a ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body (often from the forearm, hamstring, knee, or foot of the patient). The surgery is named after Tommy John, a pitcher who was the first professional athlete to successfully undergo the operation. Prolonged his career another fourteen years. The procedure was performed by Dr. Frank Jobe in 1974.

Today, many of the top pitchers can credit this surgery for saving and/or prolonging their careers. Here is a sample of these well-known hurlers: John Smoltz. Tim Hudson. Kerry Wood. Stephen Strasburg. Chris Carpenter. Billy Wagner. Unfortunately, these injuries are being seen too often by players who still live with their parents. Way too many junior high and high school pitchers are being mishandled and end up seeing in Birmingham seeing Dr. Andrews for this procedure. Hopefully, Glenn Fleisig and his colleagues are getting the word out to the mostly well-meaning, but not-yet informed youth coaches about the importance of limited pitch counts.

Did you know, part 2 ???
That participants in the 2011 NCAA Division 1 Final Four will each receive pieces of the playing surface. Crazy, huh? I wonder how many pieces from Reliant Stadium in Houston will end up on ebay.

Having a great week: This past week Lakers guard Kobe Bryant passed Moses Malone for sixth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. A Michigan high school basketball team advanced to its district championship on Wednesday by winning a second state tournament game since one of its star players collapsed on the court after scoring a winning basket and died. About 3,200 people watched Fennville High beat Bangor High 79-50 Wednesday night to advance to the Michigan Class C district finals Friday.

Not having a great week: Ohio State football coach Jim "You can never trust a man in a sweater vest" Tressell, meet Bruce Pearl. You guys will soon be the poster boys in the exclusive "lack of institutional control" club. This will get worse before it gets better. NCAA hoops refs continue to be publicly criticized for unacceptable officiating. I'm sure it's tough to call games, especially when post-season births are on the line. Refs, umps, etc., do not get paid nearly what they are worth. They may miss some calls, but largely they are spot-on. After The Decision, the Miami Heat looked very good for a stretch. Then LeBron tweeted about taking no prisoners for the remainder of the season. Result? Five straight losses, disgruntled teammates and a coach who appears to have lost his team. Karma.

I'm thankful Sid and Em are allowing me to join them for spring break.
Remember to always wear a helmet.
Get your brackets filled out asap. March Madness is upon us!
Peace.
The Sports Guy

Hoops on the island. Lax, lax, lax.

Hey sportsfans,

It's here! It's here! The month of all months. Spring has sprung and Charlie Sheen is crazier than Cooter Brown and his noble band of La-La warlocks.

This past weekend super cousins, Isabelle and Mary Mac, were in action on the hoops court for their respective teams. Playing in the 2011 Pleasure Island Youth Basketball Championships, the Powell girls were pumped to play! Their mother on the other hand was - how should I say this? - a bit nervous? All in good fun!




In the first game Mary Mac's Dream Team took on the red guys and wiped them off the court. Running away early in the second half, the Dream Team cruised to a championship win by the score of 30-16. Although she did not score, Mary Mac played stellar "in your face" (literally) defense all game. In the second game, Isabelle's team played their hearts out but just fell short on the scoreboard. Losing by a close score, Isabelle and her teammates gave a great try. They had a great season that hopefully will not be spoiled by the last game. Both girls have much to proud of this year. Way to go, girls!





Emmy and her lax teammates have had some hard practices as they get ready for their first game in a few weeks. Running. Running. Running. Em is putting in the miles on the field. Lean, mean running machine.



Sid is sad that she will have to wait six months until next football season. Go Bears! At least she has dance to keep her busy for now.


Does not seem fair that former boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard will be a contestant on next season's Dancing with the Stars. Some of the throw-in contestants are Kirstie Alley, Chris Jericho (wrestler), Kendra Wilkinson (Playmate), Hines Ward (Steelers wide receiver) and talk show host Wendy Williams. This contest is already over.

Having a good week: Melo, Amar'e and the new look NY Knicks are off to a hot start after the big trade. Yankees superstar Derek Jeter dropped $7 million just for the land to build a nearly 31,000 square foot waterfront mega-home in Tampa. The recently completed estate features two 3-car garages, a swimming pool, a billiards room, a memorabilia room, 9 bathrooms and 7 bedrooms for Jeter and girlfriend Minka Kelly to use at their discretion.

Not having a good week: Any Men's college D-1 hoops team that is No.1 in the rankings. They keep losing every week. Will make for an interesting tourney. Former Tide superstar Julio Jones will be out of action for at least eight weeks after fracturing a bone in his foot. Could not come at a worse time for the future first round draft pick as he prepares for the April NFL draft. Carlos Irwin Estevez aka Charlie Sheen is off his rocker. Big time. Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter is done for the season. Needs Tommy John surgery.

Blake Griffin is an impressive athlete, but he did not deserve to win the Allstar Dunk Contest. Just shows that his PR dept. is better than his competitor's. All hype, all the time. Two or three others were more deserving of the honor this year.

Spring dance recital is fast approaching.
Don't let those allergies get the best of you!
Daylight savings time is near.
Have a great week everyone.
The Sports Guy