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By Tom Archdeacon
| Saturday, October 11, 2008, 06:11 PM
Has Minnesota just been tapped with the stupid stick or what?
First Republican presidential nominee John McCain has to take the microphone away from one of his supporters at a town hall meeting in Lakeville, Minnesota — where other people already had yelled out that his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, was a “terrorist” and a “liar” — when the woman goes:
“I can’t trust Obama. I have read about him and he’s not, he’s not uh — he’s an Arab. He’s not — “
Taking the microphone from a woman — who later identified herself as 75-year-old Gayle Quinnell, a McCain volunteer from Shakopee, Minn. — the Republican candidate did a really decent thing and stopped her in her tracks:
“No, ma’am. He’s a decent family man [and] citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with….”
Later a podcaster for something called The UpTake caught up with Quinnell and she told him on camera how she’s done volunteer work for McCain there and had sent out 400 letters to people making the same Arab claim and a lot of other “bad things” about him. She said others are doing the same thing.
Others were saying distorted things this week in Minnesota, but the target wasn’t Obama it was NBA legend Magic Johnson.
A pair of babble heads on KTLK-FM in Minneapolis — Chris Baker and Langdon Perry — accused Johnson of faking AIDS.
According to a partial transcript on mediamatters.org, a media-watchdog site, the claims were made during Baker’s radio show Wednesday.
During a discussion of illnesses treatable with drugs, Perry said “Like Magic with his faked AIDS. Magic faked AIDS.”
Baker responded” “You think Magic faked AIDS for sympathy?”
Perry replied, “I’m convinced that Magic faked AIDS.”
“Me, too,” Baker said.
The 49-year-old Johnson — who was diagnosed with HIV in 1991 and retired from basketball at age 32 — told the Associated Press:
“We can’t have people out here making false statements and putting out bad information, because this battle is too big when it comes to HIV and AIDS.”
The same could be said with the presidential race.
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By Tom Archdeacon
| Friday, October 10, 2008, 07:18 PM
If I had to power rank the Big Ten right now, here’s how I’d rate the 11 football teams:
1 — Penn State (6-0, 2-0) — best offense, solid defense
2 — Ohio State (5-1, 2-0) — When Terrelle Pryor and Bean Wells hit their full stride together, they may run past Nittany Lions and claim top spot.
3 — Michigan State (5-1, 2-0) — Javon Ringer 40 times a game
4 — Northwestern (5-0, 1-0) — Solid defense makes them league’s second biggest surprise
5 — Illinois (3-2, 1-1) — Juice Williams showed what he was made of at Michigan
6 — Minnesota (5-1, 1-1) — After 1-11 last season, they are the surprise of Big 10
7 — Iowa (3-3, 0-2) — Can run the ball with Shonn Greene, three straight losses by combined 9 points.
8 — Wisconsin (3-2, 0-2) — Quarterback questions
9 — Purdue (2-3, 0-1) — Decent defense, quarterback questions as well.
10 — Michigan (2/3, 1-1) — Sadly, only a shell of what they once were and one day will be again.
11 — Indiana (2-3, 0-2) — Only wins against Western Kentucky and Murray State
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By Tom Archdeacon
| Tuesday, October 7, 2008, 09:31 AM
Barack Obama and John McCain go at it in their second debate tonight, but the match-up I’d really like to see is Obama against Sarah Palin:
On the basketball court.
I know in these debate formats they like to keep each topic of parry short, so I’d suggest that old, quick playground staple — a game of P-I-G.
Then again, I know what happened that last time that word was brought up this election season.
So maybe the Republican pick for Vice President and the Democratic presidential nominee could just wipe off the lipstick, roll up the sleeves and square off in a game of H-O-R-S-E.
While Palin and Obama may seem far apart in so many matters, they have one thing in common — a love of hoops.
Palin — then playing under her maiden name, Sarah Heath — was the aggressive point guard of the Wasilla High basketball team that won the Alaska state title in 1982. She wore No. 22 and was nicknamed Sarah Barracuda for her tear-into-you style — an old trait she’s using every chance she gets the past few days in her speeches targeting Obama.
Obama played on the Punahou High team that won the Hawaii state title in 1979. A left handed guard who wore No. 23, he grew up with a poster of Julius Erving on his bedroom wall. His brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, is the head basketball coach at Oregon State.
Every year Obama returns to Hawaii and plays a series of 3-on-3 games on Waikiki Beach with his old high school buddies. On the election trail he’s done everything from play a full court game in an open gym session with the North Carolina Tar Heels to hit the first three pointer he attempted while talking to troops in a gymnasium Kuwait.
Palin returned to Wasilla High recently with Charlie Gibson in tow and took the ABC news anchor over to the trophy case, where they found the state title trophy. In that game, by the way, Palin hit two key free throws in what was a 50-48 win over East High of Anchorage.
Gibson told her how George Stephanopoulos had suggested to Obama that he and Palin go at it on the basketball court and she laughed and said: “That would be a blast.”
So who do I think would win?
I give the nod to Obama.
From what I can see, Palin doesn’t use the whole court. She shoots only from the deep right and would have to have someone feeding her the ball. And, lately, most of her shots have been under-handed.
If you think that sounds a little biased, well, in the words of a familiar orator:
“You Betcha!”
But I would give Palin the edge over Caitlin Upton.
Miss (wink…wink) Wasilla of 1984 would be able to handle Miss Teen ( “some people out there in our nation don’t have maps”) South Carolina of 2007.
Why?
Well, say what you want, but Palin can bury that three from beyond the arc…and… she’s got cue cards.
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By Tom Archdeacon
| Saturday, October 4, 2008, 11:19 PM
College sports teams always live by the mantra: “There’s no place like home.”
But that’s never been more true than now, where rising jet fuel costs and extra baggage fees are bookended by the dire economic crisis to make road games a financial nightmare.
Here’s just one example.
When Ohio State went out to play Southern Cal last month, it took two chartered flights for its players, coaches, support personnel and boosters. The cost was $346,000. In the past, the fuel surcharge that was tacked on top of that was no more than a couple of thousand dollars Bucks’ finance director Ben Jay told the New York Times. This time it was $24,200.
Whopping bills like that are taking a toll on OSU, but with a $115 million athletic budget this year — the largest in the nation — it can absorb it a little better than some schools.
Imagine if you’re one of the majority of programs just scraping by or already running in the red?
The Times detailed some of this in a story Saturday and told how some cash-strapped programs are not sending all their players on trips and others are thinking of shortening their seasons. Just one less road game saves a bundle.
I can only fathom the hurdles facing a program like the University of Hawaii.
As for the University of Alaska at Anchorage, every road game it’s teams play requires a flight. It’s closest opponent is Fairbanks and that’s 310 miles away.
The hockey team makes several trips to Minnesota this season and travels to Colorado, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Michigan, plays two games in Fairbanks and two more in Wasilla.
According to the school’s athletics director Dr. Steve Cobb, the average athlete logs 25,000 milles each season.
And you know how you get charged if you show up at the airline ticket counter now with more than one checked bag? Imagine a hockey team…or, worse, a football team.
With withering costs like there are now, the landscape of college sports is going to change. Some programs may fold. Others will scale back. And student athletes — if they do make the travel roster — will learn to pack light.
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By Tom Archdeacon
| Sunday, September 28, 2008, 12:00 AM
Thanks to an e-mail from reader Ellen Vogel, I found out that U.S. Army Capt. Ivan Castro — blinded by a mortar blast while fighting in Iraq — left Dayton last Sunday morning with more than just the medal that had been hung around his neck the day before after he’d finished running the U.S. Air Force Marathon in 4 hours 16 seconds.
Here’s what Ellen wrote:
“I happened to be at the Dayton airport early Sunday morning for a flight. Capt. Castro was on our plane. He boarded before I arrived. While I was waiting to board, a group of maybe 10 to 12 motorcycle riders came to the gate with flags and wearing their motorcycle gear.
“Capt. Castro was asked to come back off the plane. … He walked off not really understanding why, but then he was greeted by the Harley motorcycle group.
“The president of the group said they didn’t want him to leave Dayton without a proper send-off. ….They thanked him for his service and presented him with a shirt and pin. When he reboarded, he was greeted with applause.”
After hearing Ellen’s account, I got in touch with Capt. Castro, who was at his desk back a Fort Bragg. N.C., and I asked him to fill in the details.
He was surprised the story had gotten out and said for me to fully appreciate it, he wanted to give some of the back story.
“I love Harley Davidson motorcycles, — I just love ‘em ” he said.” I always wanted one and my wife finally said I should go get one, but that she wouildn’t ride with me. She said it was too dangerous. That’s when I decided to get a boat instead, but then, soon after that, I got hurt.”
That was two years ago and these days, instead of riding a Harley, Capt. Castro collects Harley Davidson shirts and Hard Rock Cafe caps everywhere he goes.
When he got to Dayton two days before the marathon — his wife Evelyn wouldn’t arrive until a day later — he asked the TSA represntative who helped him deplane at the airport if there were any Hard Rock hotels or Harley shops around.
She told him there was a Harley place, but while he was here he ended up with too many commitments and wasn’t able to slip off in search of a shirt.
“But Sunday when my wife and I go through security at the Dayton airport, there is that same TSA agent,” Castro said. “She handed me a bag and inside was a Harley Davidson shirt. I couldn’t believe she’d done that for me. That was pretty special.”
And it was about to get even more special than that.
He and Evelyn boarded the plane and, no sooner were they in there seats, when a flight attendant got on the PA system and asked for the Castro family to come to the front of the plane,
“Evelyn went to find out what was going on and she came back bawling her eyes out;” Ivan said. “Right then I was ready to kick some butt and find out who made my wife cry.
“She finally goes, ‘No, there’s a brigade outside that wants to see you.’
“When I got out there, my wife described the scene to me. It was the Patriot Guard Riders, the motorcycle crew. They’re all veterans. They were wearing their leather and most of them had their flags open . My wife said the head guy looked like Kenny Rogers.
“He told me they just wanted to thank me for serving my country and for not quitting. And then they gave me a shirt. Well, I stripped off the jacket and shirt I was wearing and donned their shirt. Then I took pictures with them.
“It was awesome, just very moving. I didn’t have any idea how many people were out there, but then they started clapping and I realized there was a good crowd. And when I got back on the plane, everybody in there gave me an ovation, too.”
And the night before — some six hours after he’d finished running the marathon with the help of guide Lt. Col. Fred Dummar — Ivan, his wife and the Lt. Colonel had all gone to El Meson, the popular Spanish cuisine restaurant in West Carrollton run by the Castro family. The Castros here are no relation to Ivan, but they have a Columbian roots, as does Evelyn.
“Not that was a real American hero,” said El Meson’s Bill Castro. “I think he had a good time here.”
“We had a great time there and I ate and ate and ate,” Ivan laughed. .
“I’ll tell you something, I’ll never forget Dayton. Everybody treated me great. There are some real good people up there.”
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By Tom Archdeacon
| Friday, September 26, 2008, 11:33 PM
One third of the way through the college football season, here are some questions swirling around the Heisman Trophy race.
— With USC’s surreal meltdown at Oregon State Thursday night, what happens to the bid of Trojans quarterback Mark Sanchez? Remember Tim Tebow won last year with four losses.
— Who is the best quarterback in the Big 12 — Missouri’s Chase Daniel or Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford? And does that make him the best player in the country?
Daniel has 12 touchdowns, just one interception and has completed 76 percent of his passes. At one point last week against Buffalo, he completed 20 in a row.
Although the Sooners were off last weekend, Bradford’s stats are still off the charts. In three games — directing the nation’s top scoring offense (54.7 points per game) — he has completed nearly 80 percent of his passes, has 12 touchdowns and two interceptions.
— What about a repeat for Florida’s Tebow? Although his numbers pale next to the Big 12 duo, he just beat Tennessee for the third straight time in his career. He’s passed for 489 yards, run for 118. His five passing TDs come with no interceptions.
— Do Javon Ringer’s workhorse numbers for Michigan State — 143 carries, 669 yards, a best-in-the-nation 11 TDs — make him an equal of Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno, who has 69 carries for 455 yards and 9 TDs against better competition? Moreno is averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Ringer, the Chaminade Julienne grad, 4.9 But I think Ringer is just going to get better and better as the season goes on.
I vote for the Heisman in December. Right now here are my top ten contenders:
1 — Chase Daniel, Missouri quarterback
2 — Sam Bradford Oklahoma quarterback
3 — Tim Tebow, Florida quarterback
4 — Knowshon Moreno, Georgia running back
5 — Max Hall, Brigham Young quarterback
6 — Javon Ringer, Michigan State running back
7 — Mark Sanchez, USC quarterback
8 — Jeremy Maclin, Georgia wide receiver.
9 — Graham Harrell, Texas Tech quarterback
10 — Colt McCoy, Texas quarterback
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By Tom Archdeacon
| Monday, September 22, 2008, 10:21 AM
To all the “so-called” Ohio State fans who booed Todd Boeckman Saturday, you showed yourself to be a classless bunch.
Your actions stained a day which should have been nothing but a celebration of a promising new talent’s debut at the helm of the Buckeyes.
Cheer new quarterback Terrelle Pryor, the highly-acclaimed freshman. He deserved it for leading OSU past an over-matched Troy team.
But shower Boeckman with scorn?
That’s a new low even among the twisted few at OSU who think it’s cool to spit on Michigan fans and torch trash piles and old furniture and parked cars after big victories.
On a day when he already had to be crushed — he’d lost his job and his dream —Boeckman enters the game for just two plays, throws an incompletion and gets treated worse than O.J.
“Hey, we’re just kids,” Ohio State defensive lineman Lawrence Wilson said afterward. “We’re not professionals. There is no way adults should treat us that way.”
I don’t agree with the “kids” part — guys this age are fighting in Iraq, working in factories, married and beginning to start a family of their own — but he’s right in that this was no way to treat somebody like Boeckman.
There is no more loyal, no classier, no more likeable guy on the Bucks roster than the sixth-year player from St. Henry.
When OSU showed interest in him when he was coming out of high school — but didn’t want to give him a scholarship right away — he passed on other full rides and came to Columbus for a year as a regular student.
He then red-shirted a year when the Bucks’ wanted to position him for their future.
He supported Troy Smith and watched — without saying a negative word — as the Heisman quarterback starred on the field and sometimes misstepped off of it.
When the Bucks brass fell head over heels in love with Pryor, he stoically soldiered on and made a point of taking the Pennsylvania phenom under his wing as soon as he hit campus.
And after the game Saturday, Boeckman again was a class act when he assessed the day and praised Pryor.
I agree with the person on the Bucknuts message board who assessed Boeckman this way:
“He took over in 2007 on an offense that lost Smith, Pittman, Ginn, and Gonzalez. He won at Washington, at Penn State, vs. Michigan State and vs. Wisconsin before struggling down the stretch. In ‘08 he lost his only playmaker allowing defenses to exploit our average O-Line, and our WRs, who are not the playmakers that Holmes, Ginn, and Gonzo were.”
Boeckman went 13-3 as a starter. He’s already earned his degree, is working on his masters and he’s never been in trouble while at OSU.
You boo a guy like that?
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Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.
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