Deep, and not so deep, thoughts
We?re three weeks into a new year, but we?ve already accumulated a pile of random Robservations.
We?re going to bounce around a bit, so hang on.
? I?ve seen ?hostile environments? before. And I?ve even seen fans who were so rowdy, they threw things from the stands.
I?ve been at Tennessee Tech during ?The Blizzard,? which contained an egg or three the last time I covered a game at Hooper-Eblen. But I had never seen fans throw other fans from the stands until last Friday night?s game at Lebanon.
In case you missed it, a rather lanky member of the Blue Devil student section came tumbling down the bleachers, slamming into the radio voice of the Pioneers, Jay Walker. How Jay kept his composure while around 200 pound of Devil fan struggled to get off him is, I suppose, a testament to his professionalism as a veteran broadcaster.
And I guess it could?ve been worse. I guess they could?ve thrown eggs.
? Unless you?re literally a blithering idiot (and I don?t even know how to ?blither,? so chances are you don?t, either), you realize that from time to time there are going to be typographical errors in this ? and every other ? newspaper.
With that said, just in case you are busy blithering away somewhere, let me assure you the Lady Pioneers did not fall to 3-313 Saturday night. They fell to 3-13, and heading into tonight they?re 3-14.
You didn?t have to be a mind-reader to look at that sentence in Wednesday?s edition, notice a typo had slipped through the cracks, and then move on. So let?s save the wiseacre phone calls, shall we?
? While we?re talking hoops, do you know why a free throw is called ?free?? Because no one guards you while you shoot it.
In fact, a free throw is the only shot in basketball that is the same every time it is attempted. You can shoot 3-pointers from the same spot on the floor, but you?ll never have the same defender doing the same thing, or the same number of people between you and the goal. That?s only true of a free throw.
Why is it, then, that so many players have such difficulty with this shot? It hasn?t changed since the first time they walked onto the court. But often you watch a player toe the line ? and we?re talking from Jaycee age all the way to the pros ? and they eye that rim like you were asking them to sink a bucket from half-court.
I?ve coached two basketball games in my life, and we lost them both. But it doesn?t take John Wooden to realize that when you have a chance at free points, you need to be able to get them. So work on those freebies, teams. They might win you a ballgame one of these nights.
? I hope Sammy Sosa doesn?t get invited to spring training, but you know he will. Somebody will let him on their roster, just for the amount of media attention it will create, and then he?ll probably wind up making the team.
If that happens, I hope he belts a home run in his first at-bat of the season, then sprains an ankle making the turn at first base. Nothing serious; I wouldn?t wish serious injury on anybody. Just something minor that will get him back out of the spotlight.
Am I just bitter because Sosa left the Cubs? You bet I am. I can?t think of a better reason.