Playing through pain for fame and fortune

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 02 October 2012 14:41

Being a professional football player sounds exciting. Imagine hearing the roar of the crowd, the fame and the fortune.

The sound we rarely hear is the agonizing cry of pain after the game.

Picture a quiet flight back from a road football game that is sometimes interrupted by the agonizing scream of a player in a full-body cramp.

If you don’t believe me, take it from another Kleinsasser—recently retired Minnesota Vikings football player Jim Kleinsasser. At best, we are only distantly related.

According to a recent article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, some players deal with postgame pain by stuffing bags up their suit pants and beneath their shirts and ties. Aisles can be congested with other players receiving IVs.

“One...

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When rivals aren’t really rivals

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 18 September 2012 14:32

A good rivalry is fun for everyone, except maybe the team that loses the game.

Years ago, Hillsboro and Marion high schools were big rivals. By proximity alone, they still are to some extent, but I’m not sure it’s the same as it was 30-40 years ago.

Forty years ago, before summer camps and summer leagues existed, kids from Hillsboro and Marion rarely saw each other except on Friday nights in fall and Tuesdays or Fridays in winter. Games were all about bragging rights.

Nowadays, kids see each other in summer ball and find out that the kids from the other town aren’t all bad. In fact, some become good friends.

A healthy rivalry doesn’t have to result in bad blood. A healthy rivalry exists when players, coaches and fans respect...

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Catch her if you can

Written by Hillsboro Free Press Tuesday, 04 September 2012 14:13

One hot summer day, the thought hit me. The 2011-12 school year is history and I said nary a word about a great success story, perhaps the greatest success story of any freshman athlete at Hillsboro High School.

The fact I might have missed something isn’t particularly surprising—after all, basketball coaches have said for years I miss what happens right in front of me on a basketball court—but I feel this accomplishment deserves at least some acknowledgement from a local sports columnist.

The great thing about being a columnist is that I’m expected to share my opinion, no matter how right or wrong it is. And I realize that when it comes to such a subjective topic as who is the most successful freshman student-athlete in...

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To play or not play football, that is the question

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 21 August 2012 13:18

What’s a parent to do when a child wants to play football? For some, it’s easy. If a kid wants to play, let him play.

For others, you let him play, but secretly you wish he wouldn’t play, and you hope and pray that he doesn’t suffer serious injuries.

And for some, the answer is no.

Earlier this year, former Giants, Cardinals and Rams quarterback Kurt Warner created quite a stir when he said that football may be too dangerous for kids.

Warner said: “I love that the commissioner is doing a lot of things to try to clean up the game from that standpoint and improve player safety, which helps, in my mind, a lot. But it’s a scary thing for me.”

Former Giants receiver Amani Toomer clearly disagreed, criticizing Warner and...

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