Take a spin on the coaching carossel

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 26 July 2011 17:48

Carousels have been around for a long time—in fact, much longer than I realized. The carousel, or merry-go-round as it is called on the playground, dates back to about 500 A.D. But that’s not the carousel we’re considering today. Rather, it’s the coaching carousel in college athletics.

Every school faces challenges when coaching positions open. For some, like former coach Dean Smith at North Carolina, the question is how to replace a legend.

Whenever a coaching position opens, especially in prominent programs, the coaching dominoes fall faster than raindrops during a Kansas thunderstorm. Consider what transpired when longtime Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams announced his retirement about a month after the basketball...

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Being the best pays off (usually)

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 12 July 2011 15:54

Anytime an athlete is the best at his or her sport, good things tend to happen to that person’s annual income.

A recent column on ESPN.com listed the best-paid athletes in 30 sports. I found the information enlightening, not only in terms of the amount of money some athletes are paid, but the sports named on the list.

Making a list of sports isn’t as easy as you think. In some cases, there seems to be a fine line between what’s simply a game or activity and what is considered a sport.

In any case, the list represents official base salary or earnings from the most recently completed season or calendar year, and excludes endorsements, appearance fees, sponsorship money and other sources of extra income, unless otherwise noted...

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Royals pitcher may be worst of the best

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 21 June 2011 14:27

ow must it feel to be the worst of the best?

Just making the roster of a Major League Baseball team obviously means a player is in an elite group. But making it to the big time is different than being successful in the big time.

Royals pitcher Kyle Davies is one of those who somehow has hung around the Major Leagues without much, if any, success.

One measure of ineptitude might be losing 20 games in a season, but that really isn’t fair because it takes an entire team to lose a game, not just the pitcher.

Not only has Davies had little success, his career numbers aren’t pretty.

Craig Brown, who writes a blog called Royals Authority, notes that Davies’ numbers are frightening. Brown proceeds to put Davies’ performance in...

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Let's put NFL dispute into some perspective

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 07 June 2011 14:39

Labor disputes are always difficult. Why else do we call them disputes?

The current dispute involving NFL owners and players, and the anticipated dispute between NBA owners and players, are making sports headlines, but how much do fans really care? Take this little quiz to check the level of your interest.

*?* *

1. If the NFL season is delayed or postponed because of the labor dispute, what will you do instead of watching football on Sunday afternoons and Monday nights?

A. Watch NFL game reruns.

B. Get reacquainted with my spouse and family.

C. Read a book.

D. Get some exercise.

E. Sit and stare at the TV wondering why networks are showing Australian Rules Football games and Andy Griffith reruns.

 

2. Who is to blame for the...

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