Baseball coach shows true caring

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 10 May 2011 16:04

Please excuse me. As a veteran sports columnist, basketball official and sports fan, I’ve been around long enough to be suspicious and cynical when good news involves a coach or college athletic program.

There are plenty of times when supposedly honorable coaches have done dishonorable things. And a multitude of stories have been written about colleges and universities looking the other way rather than owning up to the truth.

When I first heard the story of 42-year-old Wake Forest baseball coach Tom Walter, I thought, “Seriously?”

Thankfully, the joke is on me, because Walter isn’t just another coach interested in winning at all costs. He epitomizes what it means to care about student-athletes; someone who does whatever it...

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A few last thoughts on this year’s college hoops

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 26 April 2011 15:53

Before moving ahead, it’s worth taking another look back at the recent college basketball season. Here are some observations that might stimulate some watercooler talk.

Is there any doubt that parity is the operative word in college basketball?

March Madness was maddening on a variety of levels to a number of teams this year. When Butler and VCU made the Final Four, some analysts and so-called experts practically pulled their hair out lamenting the decline of college basketball. They were lamenting that the usual superpowers—Duke, Kansas and Ohio State—didn’t advance, hence, TV ratings would suffer.

Did you know that in the six Final Fours from 2006 to 2011, the Colonial Athletic Associa­tion (two) and Horizon League (two)...

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Put those basketball cliches to bed

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 12 April 2011 17:13

Another year of high school and college hoops has come and gone. Between newspapers, TV and radio, there are enough cliches around to drive you nuts.

Some cliches are more annoying than others. At the end of the day— oops, another cliche— what would basketball be without them? In fact, I dare say you could broadcast an entire game using only cliches.

I wish I had a dollar every time I heard or read that a team punched its ticket to the state tournament. Really? Are schools required to punch tickets? Isn’t that an old term involving train tickets? When is the last time anyone took a train?

Here are some other worn-out cliches followed by some observations:

• “They’ll be dancing in March.” Are we talking about basketball...

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At least one Royals fan sees KC’s Glass as half empty

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 29 March 2011 15:15

Every year, except for the World Series champion, baseball fans everywhere say, “Wait ‘til next year!”

Of course, even in spring when hope springs eternal, there’s always someone like my agent I.M. Slick all too willing to douse my hopes before the season has started.

Joe: Things are looking up. Some experts say the Kansas City Royals have one of the best farm systems in Major League Baseball.

Slick: Let me point out that no one cares which teams win in the minor leagues.

Joe: Yes, but at least the Royals have hope on the way.

Slick: Has the water supply in Hillsboro been tainted in some way? Last I checked, the Royals traded their best pitcher, former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke, and maybe their best all-around player...

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