MLB, NCAA should make a stand against racist law

Written by John Giffin Tuesday, 11 May 2010 19:35

While going up 2-0 over the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals on Cinco de Mayo in Phoenix, the Phoenix Suns voiced their opinions on a new immigration law in Arizona.

Sporting jerseys saying “Los Suns” Wednesday as a protest, the Suns’ front office and players have been adamant about the problems of SB 1070. The new law gives Arizona law enforcement officials the power to question the citizenship of anyone on suspicion alone.

Basically, the law will make racial profiling legal, as the targeted suspects will be mostly Latin and Asian.

“We felt like, however well intended, the law was not right,” said Suns general manager Steve Kerr in an interview with a Phoenix ABC affiliate.

“The law is misguided,”...

Read more: MLB, NCAA should make a stand against racist law

Rams should not have passed on Suh

Written by John Giffin Tuesday, 27 April 2010 16:36

The St. Louis Rams passed on a sure thing. By selecting injury-prone Sam Bradford instead of Ndamukong Suh overall, the Rams proved once again that some teams think making the “sexy pick” (as a college friend of mine calls it) is far more important than making a pick of substance.

Maybe Rams General Manager Bill Devaney didn’t watch the Big XII championship game. If he would have, there would be no way he could pass on Suh.

Having not watched Suh play an entire game before the Nebraska vs. Texas showdown, I, like many others, thought there was no way the new Husker black-shirt defense could slow the high-powered Texas offense led by Heisman candidate Colt McCoy.

It did, though, and Suh proved to be the best player in college...

Read more: Rams should not have passed on Suh

Best memories from the worst fisherman

Written by John Giffin Tuesday, 06 April 2010 18:54

One would think that I, being the son of a former Kansas Wild­life and Parks fisheries biologist, would be a good fisherman. But I am not. In fact, I might be the worst fisherman ever.

It began when I was about 5 years old. On the first fishing trip I remember, my late father, my mother and brother and I placed our gear in the back of “Old Yeller,” my father’s 1972 yellow GMC?pickup truck, and headed down the country roads of Greenwood County to the ranch pond of a family friend.

Once we arrived, my father baited hooks for my brother and me and we commenced fishing.

Shortly after casting out, my line started to whistle.

I?had the big one.

Whatever was on the other end of my line nearly jerked the pole out of my small hands...

Read more: Best memories from the worst fisherman

Sometimes the big boys overlook the storyline

Written by John Giffin Tuesday, 16 March 2010 18:56

Some reporters wouldn’t know the story of the year if it hit them in the face.

During the Class 3A state tournament, a couple news sources in the hub of media in Kansas (Wichita) dropped the ball again on providing interesting insight into Cinderella runs of rural Kansas teams.

In fact, from what I saw, they saw it more fit to insult the communities that so often fall off their radar.

“For as many outstanding plays as the Marion girls’ basketball team made in the Class 3A championship on Saturday, there is still a fine line of the caliber of play it takes to win a title,” Wichita Eagle correspondent Taylor Eldridge wrote.

Call me a homer, but that’s not the way I saw that game at all. What I saw was a hard-fought...

Read more: Sometimes the big boys overlook the storyline